Superheroes
by abrokencastiel
Summary: Sequel to Copycat. Young girls are going missing in Atlanta, Georgia. Something very strange is going on and the team will need to use all of their reasources to figure it out. But with Reid still recovering, will they be able to solve the case in time?
1. Lost

**Hello again!**

**After months of craziness, I have FINALLY found time to write. I'm so excited!**

**Due to popular demand (and my own) I have decided to write this, a sequel to _Copycat_. If you haven't read _Copycat_, I would suggest reading it just so you know what's up with Reid. I think that this one is going to be a winner, even though the sequel is never as good as the original.**

**So, without further ado, I present _SUPERHEROES_!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery." ~ Allen Klein_

* * *

Reid looked at himself in the mirror. His black eye was more of a greenish gray now, emphasized by the black circles that still showed under his eyes. His broken arm was still in the sling. He had been allowed to loose the can, but he still wore a brace on his leg. The bruise on his cheek had cleared up weeks ago.

He ran a hand through his hair before turning away. He took a deep breath and stepped form the solitude of the bathroom to the hustle and bustle of the Quantico BAU department. A few weeks ago, a trip to the bathroom would have had someone in to check on him if he was more than two minutes. They had started to calm down, though, and now he was allowed a whole three minutes before there was a knock on the door.

Reid had taken about three minutes and ten seconds and, sure enough, Morgan was casually walking in the direction of the bathroom as Reid left it. Of course, Morgan slyly changed direction and went to the water fountain instead.

Reid shook his head and went back to his desk. He had just sat down when Hotch emerged from his office. One look had the entire team heading for the conference room.

* * *

"Five school children have gone missing in Atlanta, Georgia. All of them were blonde girls of age nine. None of them go to the same elementary school."

The team was on the plan to Atlanta already. They were reviewing the case. Again.

"We know Hotch, it's just that we can't really do anything until we're there," Morgan pointed out.

Reid leaned back in his chair, practicing a new card trick. Prentiss was looking over the case file, but didn't seem to be making much progress. JJ was preparing notes for the press conference she knew she would have to give. Rossi was leaning with his elbows on the table.

"They haven't found any of the girls or learned anything from the witnesses at the scene?"

Hotch shook his head. "No one saw anything."

"How can they not see anything?" JJ asked, pausing in her writing. "With how many people are at a school at any one time, you would think that someone would have seen a little girl being taken. Don't they make sure elementary kids always go home with the right adult now a days?" JJ still seemed to have faith in people, even thought this sort of kidnapping happened all the time.

_71% of child abductions by complete stranger, 40% killed, 4% never found, 46% sexually assaulted…_ Reid's mind continued to churn out statistics as he listened to the rest of the conversation.

"The problem is that there are so many people, JJ," Morgan tried to explain. "It's virtually impossible for teachers to keep an eye on all of the children. Besides, it could be that they were taken by someone that they had learned to trust. If the girls trusted the unsub, they would go without making a scene. The teachers would think nothing of it. Some of these kidnappings could have occurred as the children were walking home. No one can pinpoint an exact time each girl went missing."

"What can you give on statistics, Reid?" Hotch asked.

"Well, 797,500 children younger than eighteen are reported missing each year so about 2,185 each day. 203,900 of these yearly abductions are by family members, 58,200 by non-family members, and 115 are your stereotypical kidnappings."

Puzzled looks greeted Reid when he glanced up.

"Stereotypical meaning someone the child doesn't know or only an acquaintance kidnaps the child, transports them fifty miles or more, then either kills them, demands ransom, or keeps the child permanently."

"So which do you think our unsub is?"

Reid studied his card as he considered the case. "I would say a non-family member who knows the girls well enough to not cause a fuss."

"So, I guess we've got half a profile," Morgan grinned at Hotch.

* * *

Detective Harding met the team as they entered the Atlanta PD. "It's been a while," she said as she shook Hotch's hand.

"I wish we were seeing each other again on different circumstances," Hotch said.

"Yes," she agreed sadly. She led the team deeper into the police station. "The parents are on their way in. I've already got the conference room filled with the evidence. Sorry, there isn't much."

Harding wasn't lying. The table had one box on it, containing a single backpack. The name on the tag was Sara.

"She was the first to be taken," Rossi said, looking at his packet of papers. "Nine years old. Usually is picked up by her grandma, but once a week walks home and that was the day it happened."

"So our unsub had at least some idea of when a good time to be to snatch her." Morgan sat down and leaned back in a chair.

"That or he was just extremely lucky," Prentiss pointed out. "This was his first, and he left evidence behind. He could have been surprised to see her walking all alone, freaked, and grabbed her."

Hotch nodded as he considered this point. He was about to say something when Harding came in. "The parents are here."

* * *

**Sooo... What'd ya think? Review people! Give me ideas! Constructive Critisism! What ever!**

**Sorry that this chapter was short, it just felt like it needed to end there, you know what I mean?**

**It's also extremely late and I need to get to bed...**

**Hope to hear from somebody soon!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	2. Questions

**Hello there!**

**I'm going to try and be the good little writer and update everyday, but we'll see how that goes…**

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and I did make it longer than the last chapter.**

**Thanks to all of you for reading!**

**

* * *

**

"_Without you_

_The earth turns_

_The sun burns_

_But I die_

_Without you…"_

_~"Without You" from __RENT_

The parents slowly filed into the conference room. The team stood at the front, making mental notes of every move they made. Even though they didn't want to consider it, even parents were possible for kidnappings.

Detective Harding and JJ left the room as the last came in.

Each couple took a seat around the conference table and sat in silence. Most had puffy eyes. They stared at what they considered their only hope: the FBI team before them.

After all were seated, Hotch stepped forward. "My name is Special Agent Hotchner. These are Special Agents Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, and Dr. Reid." He motioned to each as he said their name. Reid cringed when he saw the look the parents gave him. He could practically hear their thoughts. _We're supposed to trust this guy to find our children? He can't even take care of himself!_

"We're from the BAU division of the FBI," Hotch continued. "We were called here to help you find your children-"

"We know who you are," a father snapped as he held his wife's hand. "Now tell us what you're going to do to help us find our daughter!"

Hotch breathed a patient sigh. "We know how you feel-"

"Do you?" a mother asked, tears in her eyes. "Do you really? Have you ever had your child taken?"

"Yes, I have." Hotch met her gaze steadily. The parents shifted uncomfortably and the mother and father averted their eyes. "What we need in order to find your children," Hotch said to the whole group. "Is all of the information you can give us on your daughters."

"This means favorite color, food, hobby, cartoon, every little detail could mean the difference," Morgan stepped in.

Rossi took his turn. "Each couple will go with one of us and talk in private." He paused to make sure all parents agreed to the plan. "The Anderson's will go with Agent Morgan and the Harris's with Agent Hotchner." He waited politely for the two groups to leave before continuing. "The Jacob's will be going with Agent Prentiss and the Gabbard family will be coming with me. Dr. Reid will be staying in here with you," Rossi said nodding at the woman remaining at the conference table before leaving with his couple.

Reid watched them go, wishing that only four girls had been abducted so he could have been paired with someone. _Or better yet, not had to do an interview at all,_ he thought to himself.

Reid swallowed and took a seat across from the woman, Ms. Stiener. "Umm." Reid swallowed again as he shuffled papers and prepared to take notes. "Why don't you start telling me about Olivia."

She looked at him blankly. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything."

Ms. Steiner frowned, then began talking. "She usually goes by Ollie. She's nine years old. Blonde. Blue eyes. She's really quite beautiful, and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother. Her favorite color is pink. She loves school. And dancing. She's been taking lessons since she was three. I pick her up every day except for Wednesdays. I have to work late. She usually just walks to her Grandma's. It's only a couple of blocks away." Ms. Steiner seemed to break a little. "It's hard, you know. Being a single mom. Her father was deployed overseas last year. It's been a struggle." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Ms. Steiner-" Reid began.

"Sam, please. No one calls me Ms. Steiner," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Sam," Reid tried again. "We're going to find her."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

_40% killed, 4% never found…_ "Yes, I do."

* * *

"So, whadda we got?" Morgan asked, slapping his folder down on the table and falling into a chair.

"Not much," Rossi admitted. "Sara's parents said that she was a good girl. Never got into trouble."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Reid stared at the bored where the pictures were pinned. Prentiss was adding a paper of notes to her little girl's picture. Her name was Megan.

"None of these girls really have anything that special in common besides their appearance. None of them frequent the same places or anything," Prentiss said as she stepped back, running her fingers through her hair.

Reid rubbed his temples. A migraine had been threatening to take hold all day, and it had finally made itself known. How he wished he had grabbed a coffee when he had the chance. His arm was throbbing as well as his leg. It was nearly eleven at night, and he couldn't concentrate.

"Reid?" Morgan asked.

Reid looked up. Everyone was staring at him. "Sorry, I was thinking. What is it?"

"We were just saying that it was probably time to turn in for the night." Morgan was still giving Reid a worried look.

"Oh! Yeah. That's sounds great. I'll see you guys tomorrow then." Reid hurriedly rose and left the room, clutching his bag. He couldn't take the looks they kept giving him.

* * *

It was drizzling when Reid stepped out of the car in front of the hotel. He quickly checked in and went up to his room. He dropped his bag on the floor and collapsed on the bed without even taking off his shoes.

He was so tired, and he willed sleep to come. He was almost gone when there was a knock on his door.

"Reid, ya there?" Morgan called softly.

Reid groaned, but got up and went to the door anyway.

"Hey, kid. I just wanted to check on you. You looked pretty beat up today."

Reid gave what he hoped was a convincing smile. "I'm fine. I think it's jet lag or something. Hey, I did miss my second cup of coffee." Reid's attempted joke fell flat with Morgan who seemed to sense something more was wrong.

Luckily, he didn't push it. "I'm right next door if you need anything."

Reid thanked him and quickly closed the door. He wished things would just go back to normal. It had taken a long time after the Tobias incident, and the case of what the team called the Copycat Killer had awakened dark memories for the entire team. Reid just wanted to forget it all.

He sighed as he changed into pajamas and brushed his teeth. He wasn't sure if the team knew, but he had gone to meetings and done all the right things, but it was still hard. He was sure that Hotch knew, and he wouldn't be surprised if the others had figured it out.

Reid collapsed into bed again. This time, sleep came quickly, though not quietly. He was immediately thrown into a nightmare.

Reid was running. From what he knew, but didn't know. He knew that he just had to get away. And fast.

* * *

Sara jerked her head up when she heard the door open. A girl was pushed roughly into the room with a blindfold on. Sara and the other girls hurried over to help her up.

Big blue eyes looked up at the five strangers in the room.

"My name's Sara. This is Megan, Christina, Ollie, and Kate." Sara helped the girl stand. Her blonde hair hung in tangles around her head.

"My name's Chloe," she said quietly. Chloe looked around the room. "Where are we?" she asked as her gaze fell on the mirror that covered one entire wall.

The reflection of six girls stared back, all wide eyed, all waiting for a hero to rescue them.

* * *

**So, what do you think?**

**Who has these girls and what does he/she want them for?**

**Any guesses?**

**Reid and Review! :D**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	3. Coffee

**Me: (typing furiously)**

**(knock on the door)**

**Me: Jsut a second!**

**Morgan: Open up!**

**Me: Uh-oh**

**(Door Opens. BAU team stands outside.)**

**Me: (sweetly) Can I help you?**

**Morgan: There was a rumor going around that you were writing another story.**

**Me: Umm...**

**Rossi: Are you?**

**Me: Well, ya see...**

**Reid: I don't think I can survive another of your stories!**

**Me: As a matter of fact-**

**Morgan: Don't try to make excuses! Just delete it.**

**Me: Umm... Okay... if you insist. (sad face)**

**Morgan: It will be okay. You can write about another tv- What did you just click?**

**Me: (innocently) What?**

**Morgan: Did you just update!**

**Me: Uhhhh...**

**I don't own Criminal Minds...**_Actually, this seems to be the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis - a good hot cup of coffee." ~Alexander King_

* * *

"

* * *

Reid woke up in a cold sweat. He was gasping for air and felt like he had just run a marathon. He ran a hand over his face and then through his hair. He extracted himself from the tangled sheets and stumbled to the bathroom.

The cold water ran untouched into the sink. Reid watched it go down the drain. He was still tired, but there was no way he could go back to sleep. He had a headache and a need for coffee.

Reid quickly changed his clothes, grabbed his bag, and slipped out of his room. It was two in the morning and Reid could only hope that the rest of the team wouldn't check on him. He remembered seeing a Krispy Kreme close to the hotel.

The lobby was dead. Even the front desk was empty. Reid picked up a restaurant list and tried to locate a Krispy Kreme. _Apparently, a Krispy Kreme shop doesn't count as a restaurant,_ Reid thought to himself when the map refused to reveal his destination. He stepped out into the night air, a drizzling rain still persisting, and made an educated guess as to which way he needed to venture.

As he walked, he tried to think of nothing. His head was pounding and trying to solve the case or his own problems wouldn't help. The outside air was helping, which was good because Reid couldn't keep his mind clear no matter how hard he tried. Everything that he saw reminded him of something: a statistic, a friend, a story, or a past case.

Reid hunched his shoulders and bent his head, trying to keep out the chill as well as the memories. _It's got to be around here somewhere…_ Reid took another corner looked around.

He was standing in front of a twenty-four hour drug store. His good arm itched immediately at the crook of his arm. He clenched his fist as he stared at the neon sign.

"Hey buddy."

Reid looked down at the door.

"Can I help you in any way possible?" Reid knew what the clerk was doing. _Always out to make a little extra money…_

Reid looked behind the clerk, through the door. _It would be so easy…_

"Bud?"

"No." Reid slowly shook his head. "Not tonight."

The clerk turned to go.

"Wait!" Reid took a step towards him. "Actually, you can help me."

The clerk raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, waiting.

Reid cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably under the man's gaze. "Could you tell me where the Krispy Kreme is?"

The clerk looked a little taken aback by Reid's request. "Umm, sure."

Reid thanked the clerk and continued on his way. He should have known better than to walk around a city this early in the morning. Luckily, the Krispy Kreme was in sight, bringing the promise of caffeine.

* * *

It was three-thirty before Reid finally sat down with his fresh brewed coffee and poured in all five sugar packets. The workers were so surprised that someone had come in, that a brand new pot of coffee had to be brewed. After their work had finished, the cashier and her helper disappeared back to the backroom. It was fine with Reid, he needed some peace and quiet.

The drizzle of earlier had turned into a full fledged storm and Reid was not going to walk all the way back to the hotel in it. Instead, he took a seat at the back booth, out of sight of the counter and next to a window.

Reid's arm still itched a bit, so he pulled up his sleeve to give it a scratch. He shivered when he saw the small marks that still existed. He hadn't worn short sleeves because he couldn't stand to see them, and he couldn't imagine what the others would say if they saw them…

Reid shook his head and jerked his sleeve back down. He reached in his bag and pulled out a book of poems his mother had sent him. He hadn't told her all that had happened. He always tried to make it better than it was when he wrote to her. The last letter had been short and sweet. He assured her nothing was terribly wrong, he had just taken a break from the field for a little while. In truth, he had been banished from even coming to the headquarters. Not that he'd paid too much attention to that.

Reid flipped the book open and read the titles of the poems, looking for one to catch his interest. As he read, his mind continued to go over the case at hand. What was it that made these girls so special? He could perfectly recall the bored in the conference room. The pictures and the notes on the girls flashed before his mind's eye. Even their parents didn't have that much in common.

_What was it?_ Reid ran a disgruntled hand through his hair and slammed the book shut. It was no use. He couldn't figure this one out that easily. Not that he didn't like a challenge; it was just that if he figured this one out, then maybe everyone would stop worrying about him.

As if on cue, Reid's phone rang loudly in the otherwise dead dinning room.

He fumbled to pull it out and quickly put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Reid? Where are you?" Morgan's voice seemed to be verging on panic.

"I'm at the Krispy Kreme."

"Jeesh, Reid. Why don't you leave a note or something?"

"I really needed a coffee and it was early. I didn't think that you guys would miss me."

"Reid, I don't care what time it is or where you're going. Let one of us know."

Reid closed his eyes and bit his lip to contain his anger. No one else had to follow those orders. "I'm coming back now, Morgan."

"No, we're already on our way to pick you up. Another girl was kidnapped last night."

* * *

**I just now remembere to put on disclaimers... Oops... O_O**

**Anyway... Mostly just a Reid chapter. Not too much on the case, but that's ok. Everyone loves Reid, right?**

**I was so happy to get comments! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ;p**

**So, in order to keep the author happy and awake during the late nights it sometimes takes to write these chapters, please Reid and Review (I know its kinda cheesy, but I like the play on words)**

**8393: Thank you for commenting! You were the first, so props to you!**

**Hazeljv: Sadly, yes. Those were actual statistics I found... very depressing when you think about it...**

**Well, I guess that's all for now!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	4. Statistics

**Me: Why Reid, this is kinda kinky!**

**Morgan: Don't even go that route.**

**Me: Reid, was it really necessary to tie me up like this?**

**Reid (blushing): It really wasn't my idea. Morgan-**

**Me: Sssuurreee it was Morgan's idea. (Wink, Wink)**

**(Reid blushes harder)**

**Morgan: We are only doing this because you refuse to stop writing about us!**

**Me (shocked): Was it really that simple?**

**Hmmmm… I don't own Criminal Minds… yet…. ;D**

* * *

_"Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures." ~Evan Esar_

Reid sat in the passenger seat of the SUV as Morgan drove them to the police station. Neither of them spoke. Morgan was probably still mad that Reid hadn't told anyone that he had left. Reid was lost in thought about the case. Something was bugging him at the back of his mind. He felt like he was missing something important.

* * *

Chloe looked over Megan's shoulder at the paper she was writing on. Five shaky lines ran across the top of the page and Megan was adding circles with lines to the mess.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing a song. He told me to write one. He said that if I wrote a really good one, he would let me go home."

"Who told you?"

"The man who has us." Megan turned her blue eyes to look at Chloe.

* * *

"Good of you to join us," Rossi said as Morgan and Reid walked in.

"Don't look at me." Morgan raised his hands in defense and looked pointedly at Reid.

_Well, that's a little more normal,_ Reid thought as he walked over to the board. A new girl had been added to the mix. Her name was Chloe. She fit the description of the other girls: blonde hair, blue eyes, and nine years old.

"Number six, Chloe Burgess. She lives with her aunt. She was taken sometime between five o'clock and seven o'clock last night. She had taken her dog for a walk through the woods. They found the dog tied to a tree in the middle of the forest under anesthetic. Chloe was not found, but they did find a shoe near the road on the far side of the forest next to a set of tire tracks." As he spoke, Hotch laid evidence photos on the conference table.

Reid slid into a seat and picked up one of the nearest photos. It was the dog. A golden retriever, not unlike Morgan's Clooney. The next picture was of the tire tracks and the shoe.

"JJ has gone to interview the family. I'm hoping that with this interview we will be able to find some connection between the victims," Hotch continued.

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Prentiss asked. "Who knows what this creep is doing to these girls. We can't just sit here."

"What do you suggest we do?" Rossi pointed out. "We have no idea who this guy is or what he's looking for."

"Well, he's obviously looking for blonde girls with blue eyes," Prentiss countered.

"Guys! Calm down. Arguing isn't going to solve anything," Morgan said, trying to calm everyone down. "Now, let's sit down and try to figure out what our next step is."

"Actually," Reid interjected. "I think Emily's on the right track."

Everyone, including Prentiss, looked at Reid like he was crazy.

"Reid-" Morgan began, but Reid quickly cut him off.

"No! Really. How many more blonde-haired blue-eyed girls could be in this city that are nine years old? I mean, statistics say that only two percent of people have blonde hair and blue eyes in the United States. That translates to approximately six billion one hundred forty thousand one hundred thirty one people. Using the same idea, we can change Georgia's entire population of nine billion eight hundred twenty0-nine thousand two hundred eleven to the population of people with blonde hair and blue eyes." Reid quickly did the math in his head. "One hundred ninety-six thousand five hundred eighty-four people. Next we consider the percent of these people that are children ages five to nine and narrow it down to twelve thousand nine hundred seventy-four. About half are female, so we're down to six thousand four hundred eighty-seven. The population in Atlanta alone is three hundred twenty four. There are fifty-five schools in and around the Atlanta area, give or take a few. That makes about six girls per school that meet our victim profile. The unsub doesn't seem to visit the same school twice, so that leaves us with forty-nine schools and two hundred eighty eight potential victims."

Reid's revelation was by the stunned silence he seemed to get quite a bit.

"I don't know what's scarier. The fact you knew those statistics or the fact that you just did all that in your head," Morgan said.

Reid rubbed a hand on the back of his neck.

"But," Hotch said. "That doesn't help us much. We don't have enough cops to watch two hundred and eighty-eight girls."

"We can at least alert the parents," Prentiss argued.

"The schools that the girls go to are all in the same general area. There's no guarantee that the Unsub will stick to the area, but it's a good bet," Rossi pointed out.

Hotch nodded slowly as he studied the map. "I'll go talk to Detective Harding and set up some surveillance teams. Emily, Rossi, you can come with me and help explain things to the schools. Reid, you and Morgan keep working on finding connections between the girls."

Reid watched Hotch, Rossi, and Prentiss leave. If things were back to normal, Reid would have been allowed to stay by himself, or Morgan would have been the one to go with Hotch and Rossi or Prentiss would have stayed. Morgan, apparently, was the only one who could keep an eye on Reid nowadays.

"It's not going to help much," Reid said as he stood and walked over to the board.

"But at least we're doing something. It really was good thinking." Morgan clapped a hand to Reid's shoulder as he joined him at the board.

Reid shook his head in frustration. "I feel like I'm missing something," he confided in Morgan.

"Reid, I don't think you miss much. The trick is digging it out from under all that useless information in there." Morgan ruffled Reid's hair.

"Hey! It's not all useless." Reid smiled.

Morgan laughed. "But you admit some of it is."

"Well…"

Reid almost breathed a sigh of relief. This was normal. This was what he had missed.

* * *

Chloe woke up to the sound of scratching.

"What-?" Her groggy question was cut short by Sara, who quickly put a hand over Chloe's mouth.

"Shh," she whispered. Even in the dark, Chloe could sense Sara's fear. "Act like you're asleep."

Suddenly, a thin shaft of light appeared under the door.

Chloe quickly did as Sara asked.

A window slid back on the top of the door. Chloe, through half shut eyes, watched a dark shape appear blocking the light of the window.

The shape whispered something into the room, but Chloe couldn't quite make it out. It sounded a lot like "sleep well my-". The last word was a mystery to her. _Princesses? Beauties? Angels?_ Chloe wasn't sure, but if Sara was scared of this strange person, then Chloe would be too.

* * *

***Sigh***

**I hate cable. My phone and my INTERNET(!) are both out until Tuesday… :*( Do you have any idea how hard it is to do research for a story and then publish it when you don't have internet access? I'm sure some of you do and you know its uber annoying… I think I know who to blame for this crisis, however. (See future disclaimer) As for right now, I must travel to free Wi-Fi spots or creep at my uncle's house until my internet is restored. Sorry for any story reading inconveniences….**

**Anyway, enough feeling sorry for myself. On to the story!**

**What do you think? Have you any ideas as to why this guy is capturing these girls? I've given you plenty of clues. Ok, maybe I haven't. I know the answer already, so I think it's obvious! It really is a different, hard to figure out case I suppose…**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**P.S.**

**Yes, all those numbers in Reid's little shpeal are real statistics (or as real as I could find) and I did all the math myself (mostly) though, unlike Reid, I had to use the Internet (thus the later update since my internet is MIA) and a calculator… Very long and tiring…**

**P.S.S.**

**PinkHimeLacus: Until 5 a.m.? Aw.. I'm touched and worried for your health/sanity by that fact...**


	5. Realization

**Me: OK, who did it?**

**Rossi: What are you talking about?**

**Me: One of you knows exactly what I'm talking about!**

**Hotch: No, we don't.**

**Me: You mean to tell me that none of you had a hand in putting my Internet ou-… Wait a second… Morgan! Give me your phone!**

**(Evil look in eye causes Morgan to surrender without protest.)**

**Me (Flipping through contacts furiously) : She'll pick up for you. Why didn't I see it earlier… Ah! Found it.**

**Garcia: You've reached the House of Lady Garcia.**

**Me: GARCIA!**

**Garcia: Uh oh.**

**Me: YOU!**

**Garcia: Who gave you this number?**

**Morgan: Sorry Garcia!**

**Garcia: Morgan!**

**Me: Garcia, we have a slight problem. My Internet is very important to me. I need it back.**

**Garcia: You can't make me.**

**Me (smiling evilly) : I can still write, even if I can't post…**

**Garcia: What do you mean?**

**Me: First, I would have someone destroy every computer you own.**

**Garcia: *Gasp***

**Me: Then, I would kill off Morgan.**

**Morgan: HEY!**

**Garcia: You wouldn't!**

**Me: You have no idea what I'm capable of when my Internet is at stake!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds (P.S. I wouldn't really kill off Morgan. Don't worry. But DON'T TELL GARCIA!)**

* * *

Hotch left the third elementary school. He dialed Prentiss.

"How is it going?"

She sighed. "The principles aren't sure if they should tell the teachers or the parents. She's worried there will be a mass panic if she tells them that certain girls are in real danger."

"Same here." Hotch ran a hand through his hair. "Heard anything from Rossi?"

"No. We probably aren't going to get to all the schools today, are we?"

"No." Hotch started his SUV. "But we have police stationed at the schools were it seems the Unsub will most likely attack."

"Yeah." Hotch heard a door open on the other end. "I've got to go. I'm at my next school."

Hotch disconnected the call as he drove down the road.

"You have to understand that there is no guarantee that one of your students will be taken," Rossi explained. He was sitting in the principle's office telling Ms. Sally that she should keep a special eye on nine-year-old-blond-haired-blue-eyed girls.

* * *

"What do I tell the teachers?"

"What I just told you. Tell them not to freak out, but make sure that they are aware not to let the girls go with anyone that doesn't usually pick them up. Also, any girl that walks home should be taken home by a police officer. Call the station when you find out how many need a ride."

"Thank you so much." Ms. Sally stood and shook Rossi's hand firmly.

_Five down, eleven to go,_ Rossi thought as he left the building. All of the schools in his area were relatively close together and all of the principles had been understanding. _Hope it lasts…_

* * *

A man in a red Honda watched SSA David Rossi leave the elementary school.

_You're only making it worse,_ he thought as Rossi got into his SUV and drove away. _It would have been painless. No outsider would have gotten hurt._

* * *

Reid tapped a pencil to his chin as he stared at the notes on the girls.

_It's right there. Why can't I see it?_

"Any luck yet?" Morgan asked from his seat where he was pouring over his own set of notes.

"Not yet."

"How about you, Garcia?"

"Nothing much, Sugar. None of the girls even share the same hobbies. The only thing they have in common besides their immeasurable cuteness is the fact that most of them have won competitions of one type or another."

"What kind of competitions?" Morgan asked as he glanced at Reid.

"Let's see. Megan won a music competition last year. Olivia Steiner won a dance competition. Etcetera, etcetera. The most interesting is Chloe. She won a history competition last year."

"So, let me get this straight. We have a musician, a dancer, a historian…"

"Christina, a little comedian who won the elementary talent show, Kate won a story contest for _Highlights _magazine, and the last, Sara, is the only one who hasn't won anything. She was the first taken, and her life is the most different. It's really kinda depressing. Both of her parents died in a car crash last year. Her older brother's in jail for armed robbery, her dog was put to sleep last month, it goes on and on," Garcia added.

"Dogs!"

Reid's sudden outburst made Morgan jump and Garcia drop something on the other line.

"What?" Morgan asked, trying to cover his jump.

"Garcia," Reid said, characteristically avoiding Morgan's question until he could make sure his hunch was correct. "Can you tell me if any of the other girls have pets?"

"Uh, sure. Give me a sec…" Typing was heard over the line. "Yes, I have records on Sara, Ollie, and Chloe's dogs. Megan had a cat and a dog, and the last two had cats only."

Reid's smile practically lit up the room. "Great, thanks Garcia."

"So, what does this mean?" Morgan asked again.

"The Unsub is a veterinarian, or at least works in an office. How else would he have been able to get the anesthetic to knock out Chloe's dog. That also explains how he got to know the girls. They came into the office with their pets!"

Morgan smiled. "That's my Reid."

"I'll run a check on all the vet's offices in the area and find out where the families took the pets."

"Thanks, Garcia. Let us know if you find anything." Morgan hung up the phone and immediately called Hotch and the rest of the team to tell them Reid's revelation.

Reid's smile faltered as he turned back to the board.

He knew he was missing something still. And he felt like any other time, he would have been able to see the connection right away.

_It was so obvious! Why couldn't I see it? What else am I missing?_

* * *

**Hopefully my internet will be up and running tomorrow… hopefully… if my threat worked…. 3:D**

**Thank you for the compliments on my crazy statistic research!**

**My sister asked an interesting question the other day: What is the saddest Reid moment, the Tobias incident or when he was leaving his mom a message through Garcia in Amplification? What do you think? Or is there a sadder episode that we didn't think of? POST YOUR OPINION!**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	6. Perfect Plan

Me (on phone) : Thank you so much Garcia.

**Garcia: Yeah, yeah…**

**(I hang up)**

**Me: So, where was I? (Cracks fingers and hovers them above keyboard)**

**Morgan: So, you're not going to kill me off now, are you?**

**Me (With angel eyes) : Not you.**

**Rossi: What about the rest of us?**

**Me: Wwweeelll, I'm not going to kill you… at least I don't plan to… But who knows…**

**Hotch (warning) : Angel…**

**Me: Aww! You called me Angel! How sweet of you!**

**Reid: I don't think that's what he meant…**

**Me: Don't ruin the moment!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

_"When it is darkest, men see the stars." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson_

* * *

Rachel walked down the street, past the black SUV pulling into the school parking lot. She kept her head down and hurriedly turned the corner. Her head itched under the baseball cap she was using to cover her blonde hair.

_I shouldn't be doing this, I shouldn't be doing this, _she kept thinking to herself. It was her first time skipping school. It was important, though. The comet only came once every fifty years, and what if something happened and she didn't get to see it the next time it came?

Rachel hugged the star book she always carried with her close to her chest. _I planned it out perfectly. Everything will go fine, no one will ever find out._ Rachel had let her mom drop her off at school after secretly calling herself in sick. Now, all she had to do was get home in time for the comet and then back to school for her mom to pick her up._ Everything will go perfectly._

Rachel made it two blocks from her house when the red Honda pulled up.

* * *

Prentiss pulled away from the school and sped down the street toward the Callahan's house. Their daughter, Rachel, had called in sick, but when Prentiss had called the mother, the report was that Rachel had been dropped off as usual.

Prentiss was two blocks away from the Callahan's house when she hit the red Honda.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked Prentiss over the phone.

Reid gave him a quizzical look.

"File a report with the local police. That's all you really can do. Did you tell Hotch?... Okay… Just get back here before anything else happens." Morgan clicked his cell shut.

"What is it?"

"Prentiss hit a car on her way to check on a potential victim. The car was a red Honda and it just sped away."

"Did she go check on the girl?"

"Not yet. Prentiss didn't think it would be a good idea to leave the sce- You don't think…"

Reid frowned. "I hope not."

* * *

Prentiss picked up the astronomy book from the sidewalk.

The name on the inside cover was Rachel Callahan.

* * *

"Okay." Morgan ran a hand over his head. "Okay." He clicked his phone shut again. "Prentiss found an astronomy book of the girls at the site where she ran into the car."

"Astronomy?" Reid shook his head in annoyance. "None of this seems to fit."

"I'm going to ask some of the officers that are still around to help Prentiss out." Morgan stood to leave.

"Maybe you should go out," Reid said, looking out at the pretty much empty police station. "The department is already stretched thin."

Morgan hesitated. "You gonna be okay?"

"Morgan, I'm sure I can handle a couple of hours on my own," Reid said with a slight edge to his voice.

Morgan held up his hands in defense. "I'm sure you can." He smiled. "I guess I'll catch you later, kid." He turned to leave. "Just don't leave the station this time."

Reid smiled until he was sure that Morgan wasn't coming back, counted to one hundred, then left the police station with the his copy of the notes.

* * *

The red Honda stopped in front of the police station.

A police officer ran over.

"They just put out a call for your car."

"I figured they would."

"How is she?"

"Fine. Still perfect."

"Good, good."

"Are they close?"

"Almost. They found out that you worked at a vet's office."

"_Used_ to work at a vet's office. Hopefully that will slow them down."

"It might not. One really seems to know his stuff."

"Who's that?"

"A Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Hmm…"

"Wait… There he is. He's walking right over there."

"They beat up guy?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm… Well, I guess the best thing to do is to keep an eye on him. If he tells you something and you think he's getting to close, let me know. We'll need to take care of him. At least for a little while. We're so close now, we can't let them stop us."

* * *

**Ooooo… The plot thickens? Where is Reid off to? What does the Unsub have in mind for Reid if he gets too close? (Which you totally know is going to happen. I have a thing for beating up Reid… Did that sound awkward?) Who can be trusted if even one of the police officers is corrupted?**

**So many questions, so little time… 3:D**

**Anyway…**

**You guys are depressing! You reminded me of so many ubersad Reid episodes… I had to go back and watch Reid clips from all of them, of course. So sad…**

**Well, it's 2 am my time so I better get to bed!**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	7. Strange

**Reid: Why am I always leaving?**

**Me: There's a reason. It will all make sense.**

**Reid: It's not like I do what everyone tells me not to do.**

**Me: Oh, Reid. I've done my research.**

**Reid: Research?**

**Me: What about the time Morgan said "Don't take the vest off" and you took it off anyway? The time you **_**insisted**_** on splitting up when JJ didn't want to and then got taken by Tobias? What about when Morgan told you to get out of the Anthrax infected room and you refused to even put a safety suit on? And what about the time-**

**Reid: Okay, okay! I get it! But all those times I was doing something that helped! Besides Tobias… Every other time, I accomplished something!**

**Me: Yes, so obviously I'm going to have you accomplish something!**

**Reid: But-**

**Morgan: Don't argue with her, Reid. She actually has something of a point.**

**Reid: You agree with her!**

**YES! One for my side… Oh, I don't own Criminal Minds.**

* * *

"_We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself." ~ Lloyd Alexander_Reid went to the nearest coffee shop which was luckily only five minutes away.

* * *

"Okay," Reid said to himself, collapsing into a chair. "What am I missing?"

It wasn't that he _wanted_ to make Morgan worry, but he needed to get out of the room and think. He would be back before Morgan with time to spare. He was just tired and needed caffeine. He would go back.

Reid started reading through the notes, hoping to get a fresh angle on them.

Nothing came to him.

He scratched at his coffee lid as he dialed Garcia.

"Hello, Peanut, where's my Thor?"

"Thor?" Reid scrunched his eyebrows.

"The thunder god? Come on, genius. You should know that."

"I know who Thor is, you just-… nevermind. How do you even know he's not here?"

"He would have called me on his phone. I do have caller-ID."

"Right."

"So, what do you want from the all powerful Garcia?"

"I was wondering if you had anything on the vet yet?"

"Vet yet? Did you try to make a rhyme or did that just happen on its own?"

"It just happened."

Garcia sighed. "Try to make more jokes, Reid. You're depressing me. Anyway, I have your vet. Or at least the office were the Unsub worked. It's called Promethean Pets Animal Hospital. It's actually a small place. Kind of off the radar. If you had asked anyone lesser, it wouldn't have been found."

"Thanks, Garcia."

"Don't mention it. Let me know if you have any other needs. Remember, I'm always watching, so hurry up and finish that coffee and get back to the police station before Morgan catches you."

"What!" Reid whipped his head around the coffee shop, looking for Garcia.

"I'm bored, Reid. I just tracked you and hacked into the security system of the little shop you're in."

"Wow."

"I told you, I'm all powerful. Bye." Garcia disconnected the call.

Reid looked up and saw the security camera pointed directly at him. He gave a little wave, feeling silly and not even knowing if Garcia was still watching. Regardless, he decided not to test it. He gathered his notes, got another coffee for the road, and headed back to the station.

* * *

The red Honda pulled up to the cabin. The man got out to inspect the damage to his car. Not enough to worry about. He could fix it himself.

_It's a good thing FBI Agents are defensive drivers_, he thought as he picked at the broken glass on his side mirror. The paint scratched off the side would be fixed when he repainted the car. _I can't have them find me yet._

A banging started in the trunk.

The man took out the anesthetic he carried with him and opened the trunk.

The blindfolded girl suddenly laid still, listening. Her baseball cap had fallen off and her blonde hair was tangled around her head like a halo.

Without a word, the man injected the perfect amount of anesthetic into the girl's arm. It didn't take long for her to go back to sleep.

* * *

Reid beat Morgan back to the station, like he knew he would, by a good thirty minutes.

He busied himself by writing everything he had learned on the whiteboard.

He was about half-way through the list when Morgan came in.

"Hey, you stayed here!"

"Did you think I would leave?"

"No, that's not what I meant! I was just… um… Never mind. Did you figure anything else out?"

"Garcia found out the name of vet office. Promethean Pets Animal Hospital."

"That's an odd name."

Reid nodded in agreement as he continued to write.

There was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, but I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help." A female police officer stood in the doorway. "It's kind of boring out here with no one to talk to."

"Um, sure," Morgan agreed, shooting Reid a look. "We could use a fresh mind."

"Awesome!" The officer slid into a seat next to Morgan. She appeared to be in her early twenties. "My name's Amy."

"I'm Morgan and this Reid."

She smiled broadly. "So, what can I do to help?"

Reid quickly reviewed the case as much for himself as for Amy.

Amy frowned once she heard the name of the animal clinic. "I know that place. I think that our some of our police dogs go there for checkups."

"You're sure?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure."

"Okay, I guess the next thing is to interview the canine police force."

"I'll get right on it!" Amy was out of the room as fast as she had come in.

"What did you find out with Prentiss?"

"There really wasn't anything there." Morgan shook his head. "The local CSI was checking the place out when I left, but I don't know. Something about this just doesn't seem right."

"I've been thinking that for a while now."

* * *

**I've given you guys lots of hints to figure this out. But I understand if you don't. It's weird. Even the brilliant Reid is having trouble figuring out where the girls are going and why they're being taken.**

**I think that I've gotten all the pieces in place now, so the story should really start to pick up now. I mean **_**REALLY**_**…**

**I expect interesting things to happen in the upcoming chapters including (but not limited to) a little bit of a verbal fight between two of my favorite people, a little rebel action, abduction, and another hit and run somewhere in the mix. Exciting stuff!**

**Reid and Review! (By the way, love the comments. They make me smile!)**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	8. Doctors

**Reid: Okay… Where was my big revelation?**

**Me: Ummmm…**

**Morgan (laughing): Even Reid has no idea where to go with this case!**

**Reid: Hey! (To Me) So there was absolutely no point to me leaving the station?**

**Me: Sure there was! It was metaphorically saying that you were over the incident in **_**Copycat**_** and ther was some important information I needed to give. It will **_**all **_**make sense eventually!**

**Morgan (chuckling): Sure it will.**

* * *

"_Cats are connoisseurs of comfort."~ James Herriot_

* * *

Hotch pulled up outside Promethean Pets Animal Hospital.

Detective Harding, Prentiss, Rossi, Morgan, and Reid met him at the entrance. He nodded a greeting and let Detective Harding lead the way inside.

"Can I help you?" a receptionist asked.

"Yes, I was wondering if we could speak with the head veterinarian." Harding flashed her Detective badge.

"Oh! Is something the matter?"

"Not at the moment, we just need to speak with him."

"Well, Dr. Keith isn't in today, but Dr. Arnold is. Just a moment." The receptionist quickly dialed a number and said a few words. "Thank you. They'll be waiting." She hung up and turned back to Harding. "If you all could please go back to exam room one, Dr. Arnold will be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you." Harding led the way to the room.

The smell of antiseptic filled the air. There were two chairs, but no one sat down. Harding paced around the small room while the BAU team leaned against the exam table and the walls.

After fifteen silent minutes, Dr. Arnold finally came in.

"Hello," she said, introducing herself. "How can I help you?"

Dr. Arnold was an attractive woman in her early thirties. She had the air of authority, but radiated openness.

Harding motioned for Hotch to take over. "Have you heard of the recent kidnappings of young girls?"

Dr. Arnold nodded slowly. "Yes, I think I heard about that. But what does that have to do with the clinic?"

"All of the girls that went missing took their pets here."

"And that makes us a suspect?" She raised an eyebrow.

"The kidnapper also drugged a dog with a perfect dosage."

Dr. Arnold frowned. "Do you think he works here?"

"We aren't positive, but it is a possibility."

"Oh my!" Dr. Arnold's green eyes widened.

"If you could, it would be helpful if you could compile a list of all employees that know how to dose anesthetic."

"Of course! I can have that for you in a few minutes. There really aren't that many." She took out a pad of paper and a pen. "Only a handful of the vet-techs have access to the anesthetic. Besides that, only Dr. Keith and I have access." She finished her furious writing and gave the paper to Hotch. "I hope this helps. The ones with stars by them are those who are on working today."

"Thank you very much. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to leave a couple of agents here to interview those who are here."

"Of course. You can use my office." Dr. Arnold's beeper let out a wail. "I have to go. They're waiting on me in surgery. Feel free to interview anyone that's not busy." She whisked out of the room with a flip of her brown ponytail.

Hotch turned to the team. "Prentiss, Rossi, I want you two to stay here and perform the interviews. Everyone else is coming back to the station with me to interview the canine squad."

Prentiss and Rossi nodded and followed a vet-tech down the hall to Dr. Arnold's office.

The rest followed Hotch toward the front door. Reid almost made it out when something landed on his back.

"Ouch!" Claws poked his back through his shirt.

"Hang on, Reid," Morgan chuckled as he pulled a cat off of Reid's back.

"Dr. Pepper! You don't do that!" The receptionist reached over and took the cat from Morgan. And immediately put him on the floor.

"The Reid Effect in full force," Morgan smiled.

"Right," Reid said.

They left the clinic with Dr. Pepper still batting at Reid's heels.

* * *

The canine unit was lined up in the yard by the time the three BAU agents showed up with Detective Harding.

Amy was waiting for Morgan with a list. "I wrote down the names of canine and handler and the date of their last check up."

"Wow, thanks." Morgan took the list and gave Amy a pat on the back. She smiled so big that you would have thought she had been given a new car.

"Don't mention it." She failed to sound nonchalant.

The closest dog took one look at Reid and gave a low growl with a teeth bearing lip raise.

"Uh, I think I might sit this one out," Reid said, inching away from the offended dog. He yawned. "I'll go make some coffee."

Morgan watched him go. He shook his head. "I don't know, Hotch. He seems okay, but how could he be?"

"Reid has locked things inside his head for all of his life." Hotch sighed. "His mind is his greatest weapon, but it could also be his downfall."

* * *

**I'm kind of hurt that **_**some people**_** (*cough* Jaz *cough*) are so sure that I'm going to put Reid through something again! I say kind of because its probably true… : /**

**It is late, so I must go to bed… Last night, I was updating the story and LITERALLY fell asleep tying. No joke. It was kind of depressing to see how addicted I am to writing this story…**

**:D**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	9. Attempts

**Me (gleefully rubbing hands together): Yes… All the pieces have come together perfectly!**

**Morgan: What does that mean?**

**Me: It means that this story is about to get very interesting.**

**Rossi: What exactly do you have planned.**

**Me: Oh, you'll find out…**

**Reid: You aren't going to kill me off, are you?**

**Me (not making eye contact): Noooo…**

**Reid (to the team): I don't like this…**

**(I laugh evilly)**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

* * *

"_Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fall." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson_

* * *

Reid found JJ in the conference room.

"Hey, Spence," she said as he walked in.

"Um, hi, JJ. What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the next press conference." She half smiled. "I figured I would take a look and see if I could help."

"Oh! Okay, uh, do you need caught up or do you already know what's going on?"

"I think I'm okay. I read through the reports and I just talked with Emily."

Reid nodded and yawned. "I'm going to make some coffee, you want some?"

JJ eyed the empty coffee cup Reid was still holding. "Reid, it's ten in the morning. How many coffees have you had?"

"Uh, five, including the one I'm about to have."

"That's a little unhealthy," JJ said with a concerned look.

"Not when you consider I've been awake for nearly eight hours," Reid pointed out with a smile.

JJ shook her head, but she didn't look shocked. Just worried. "Nightmare?"

"No, just caught up in the case." Reid turned to study the pictures, avoiding JJ's eyes as he lied.

An awkward silence followed.

JJ cleared her throat. "Actually, I would like a coffee. I haven't had one yet."

Reid nodded and quickly left for the small kitchen at the back of the station. One of the officers was sitting at the small table, reading the paper. Reid smiled his classic smile and tracked down the coffee pot.

"You one of those FBI agents?" the officer asked without looking up.

Reid cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid."

The officer lowered the paper so he could look over it and raised an eyebrow.

"But, uh, you don't have to call me doctor."

"Right." Back up the paper went.

Reid raised his eyebrows and turned back to making the coffee.

"Have you figured anything out?"

"What?"

"Have you found the kids yet?" he asked with a condescending tone.

"Uh, we're-"

"It was a simple yes or no question."

"No." Reid clenched his jaw and continued making the coffee.

"What happened to you?"

"Wha-?"

The officer cut him off. "What happened to your arm, your leg, and your eye."

"The last case was a little tough."

"This one seems a 'little tough' to me. If you couldn't handle the last case, what makes you think you can handle this one?"

"We handled the other case fine. We caught the guy-"

"But how many people had to die or get hurt like you before you got him?"

Reid bit his lip.

"That's what I thought." The officer noisily turned a page. "Please tell me you at least have a suspect."

Reid willed the coffee to finish brewing.

"Oh, boy. Those girls are as good as dead."

Reid looked at him in shock. "We're doing all we can!"

"Maybe you're best just isn't good enough."

Reid opened his mouth, but he shut it. _He's right; sometimes our best isn't good enough. There just isn't any way to get a hold on this case…_

The officer folded his paper and looked hard at Reid. "Is your best making coffee?"

Reid's jaw dropped as he watched the officer leave the room.

The coffee machine finally beeped.

* * *

"Reid, you okay?" Morgan came into the conference room five minutes after JJ left.

"Fine," Reid said without looking up.

Morgan looked at the white board which, half an hour ago, had been clean. Now, it was covered in Reid's scribbles.

Morgan gave a low whistle. "You've been busy."

Reid stepped back and looked at what he had written. Without commenting, he went right back to work.

"Reid? Reid! Stop!"

"Hang on, I think I found…" Reid drew a few lines, connecting sections of words. He frowned at the board, shook his head, and took the lines back out.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean? I'm working on the case." Reid erased an entire corner of the board and immediately began filling it in again.

"Reid, I know when something's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me! Why do you guys keep acting like something's wrong? I'm fine!" Reid hit the board with more force than necessary to dot an "i".

"Listen, kid, we're just trying to help." Morgan held his hands up in a defensive motion.

"I'm not a kid!" Reid slammed the marker down on the table. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"What? I can't go anywhere by myself anymore?" Reid closed the door with a satisfying thud.

Morgan stared after him for a moment, then sat down and stared at the whiteboard.

* * *

Reid hadn't meant to get mad. He was just tired of being treated like he was breakable. He ran a hand over his face as he opened the door to his hotel room.

He was just so frustrated with the lack understanding with the case. Plus, and his patience had gone when his headache had returned.

He needed a break.

Reid collapsed on the bed and pulled out the poetry book. He flipped to a random page and began reading.

_In my youth's years, she loved me, I am sure._

_The flute of seven pipes she gave in my tenure_

_And harked to me with smile – without speed…_

Reid's eyebrows knit together as he read.

_Along the ringing holes of the reed,_

_I got to play with my non-artful finger_

_The peaceful songs of Phrygian village singer…_

Reid's eidetic memory kicked in, relaying to his conscious mind every detail he had written on the board. Something in the poem had struck a cord.

_And the important hymns, that gods to mortals bade._

Reid gasped.

* * *

**Finally! Reid figured it out! What is it that he figured out? Well, I'm sure you could do some research and try to follow Reid's train of thought, or you could just wait for me to update (hopefully before 3 a.m. next time).**

**Hope you liked the chapter, even with a little Reid and Morgan fight…**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngle710**


	10. Muses

**Reid: I get it!**

**Morgan: You do?**

**Reid: Yes! It's-**

**Me: DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD!**

**Reid: What? They're going to find out eventually.**

**Me: You'll ruin the suspense!**

**Reid: But-**

**Morgan: Reid, don't push her.**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

* * *

"_Quietly forgiving and moving on is a gift to God; and yourself." ~ Unknown_

* * *

Morgan studied the white board filled with Reid's writings.

_Blonde hair._

_Blue eyes._

_9 girls._

_Veterinarian._

_Sedated dog- did not kill._

_Musician._

_Historian._

_Astronomer._

_Dancer._

_Comedian._

_Writer._

The list went on and on. Morgan shook his head. _Something is really eating at that kid._

* * *

Reid burst into the police station at a quick walk. He had to see if he was correct. He clutched the poetry book like it was his last treasure. It was the only thing he had remembered to grab besides his messenger bag. He'd left his coffee and his sunglasses/ He had even forgotten his sling, though his arm didn't hurt so he didn't care.

A few officers of the canine police force were chatting in the lobby as he rushed through, causing him to say 'excuse me' as he brushed past them.

He trotted down to the conference room. "Morgan!" he said, glad to see his friend still there. "I think I got it."

Morgan watched as Reid quickly drew lines and circles between the girls and the hobbies. "You're going to explain this to me, right?"

Reid nodded enthusiastically. Their fight was forgotten. They were teammates, and friends, again. "If you notice," Reid said as he finished matching. "Each girl has a specific talent that she's known for, except Sara, but I'll get to her later." He brushed the hair from his face. "Christina is a comedian, Kate is a writer, Olivia is a dancer, Chloe is a historian, Rachel is an astronomer, and Megan is a musician. They are great at what they do. Sara is the odd one out. Her life is a tragedy."

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

"It will all make sense."

"If you say so." Morgan smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"Anyway, I realized that all of this points to one thing!" Reid excitedly opened the poetry book to the poem he had read at the hotel. "My mom sent me this poem book, it's a good thing, or I might never have realized it!" He placed the book before Morgan. "Start at line seven."

"And the important hymns, that gods to mortals bade-" Morgan began.

"From morn till night in oaks' silent shade

I diligently harked to the mysterious virgin;

Rewarding me, by chance, for any good decision," Reid finished with perfect memorization. "You see?"

"Ah, no."

"They're his-" Reid was cut off when Hotch came into the room.

"Two more girls have gone missing."

* * *

"What can you tell us, Princess?" Morgan asked.

"Well, my Dark Knight, Ellie was the youngest girl in her church to read the Bible on her own and Annie was-"

"A writer of love poetry," Reid cut in.

"Um, yes, actually. I take it you've figured it out?"

"I think so." Reid wrote the names on the board with their accomplishments.

"What do you think?" Hotch asked. The rest of the team was in the room as well, all looking at Reid.

He swallowed. "I think the Unsub is trying to create his own group of Muses."

He earned quite a few quizzical looks.

"Muses?" Rossi asked.

"Yes," Reid said as he started to pace. "The Nine Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. The Muses ruled over the arts and the sciences. They gave inspiration to the studiers of those subjects. The Unsub could be looking for his own inspiration."

"Good job, Reid." Hotch nodded and Reid smiled slightly. "The only problem now is where to find the girls. I take it that you think they're still alive, since they're going to be his inspiration."

"Yes, I believe they are still alive, and I also have an idea as to where they are. See, the Muses lived on Mount Helicon. The Unsub could be keeping the girls on or near a nearby mountain."

"I found one for you," Garcia chimed in. "Stone Mountain is only fifteen miles away."

"Great, thank you, Garcia. Do you think that you could see if there are any cabins in the mountain?"

"No prob. I'll give you a ring if and when I find something." Garcia disconnected the call.

"I'll go inform Detective Harding of what's going on," Hotch said as he left the room.

"Good job, Spence," JJ smiled. "Maybe that last cup of coffee did the trick."

Reid smiled a genuine smile.

"I just have one question, Reid, how in the world do you know so much about Greek mythology?" Prentiss asked.

"It's actually quite interesting to read. You should try Homer's _Odyssey_. It's full of monsters, heroes, battles; it's very entertaining."

"I've read the _Odyssey_ and I still don't know as much as you do," Prentiss laughed.

"I did read a few other books," Reid admitted.

The BAU team laughed.

**

* * *

**

**Hello there!**

**So, how's that for strange? Hmm? The poem, by the way, is called "Muse" by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (try saying that five times fast!)**

**Who do you think the Unsub(s) is/are? Any idea?**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**P.S. Don't think that the team is out of the woods yet!**


	11. Caught

**Me: Hmmm… Gunshot maybe? No, too simple… Knife fight? Too, **_**West Side Story**_**…**

**Morgan: What are you mumbling about?**

**Me (ignoring him): Hanging? Naw…**

**Reid: She seems to be contemplating murder strategies.**

**Morgan: But why?**

**Me: I'll tell you why, I'm going to kill someone off, and it needs to be… well… epic, I guess.**

**Prentiss: Kill someone off?**

**Me (gleefully): Yes!**

**Reid (nervously): Who would this person be?**

**Me (sweetly): I can't ruin the surprise, Reid, you know that.**

**Morgan: It's not me, right?**

**Me: Didn't I already promise Garcia I wouldn't kill you?**

**Morgan: Yes, but what about the rest of the team?**

**Me (smiling evilly): Maybe wolves…**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**"_The truth is a snare: you cannot have it, without being caught. You cannot have the truth in such a way that you catch it, but only in such a way that it catches you." ~Soren Kiekegaard_

* * *

"I found a cabin," Garcia said. "I don't have an exact location, I just have the permit of some guy named Richard Keith to build on the land there."

"The veterinarian?" Hotch said, looking to the team for affirmation. "Thanks, Garcia." He disconnected the call.

"The employees of the office said that Dr. Keith was on his yearly vacation this week," Prentiss added.

"So, he gathers the girls, his muses, and then he takes a vacation. What do you think he has planned?" Morgan asked.

"Well, it depends on what the he wants from them. If he just wants them to be his inspiration, he could plan on keeping them until he feels that they have fulfilled their purpose, are no longer necessary, or no longer worthy." Reid frowned as he considered the dilemma.

"Either way," Rossi pointed out. "We have to find these girls, and quickly. Now that he has them all, what's to stop him from moving them to a different location?"

Detective Harding nodded. "Let's go, I think my men are ready."

The team rose as one unit and followed Harding out the door.

The SWAT team was already waiting in the lobby, chatting with the remains of the canine squad.

"Ready to go?" Harding asked as she and the team joined the mixed group.

A chorus of 'let's get him' and 'you know it' filled the air.

"Let's go find those girls," Harding smiled.

The group turned to leave.

Reid felt something tugging at his shoulder and looked down to see one of the dogs pawing at his bag. It sat and gave a low woof as it continued to paw. Reid frowned and tried to move away, but the dog followed, tugging on its leash and getting its officer's attention.

"What is it, Tango?" It was the guy who had harassed Reid earlier.

_Great,_ Reid thought._ Even his dog hates me._

"Dr. Reid, right?" the officer asked.

"Yes." Reid swallowed, prepared for another talking to.

"Well, Dr. Reid, I'm going to need to see in your bag."

"What?"

"Tango here is a drug dog. He seems very interested in your bag, so I'll need to see inside of it."

By now, the entire room was focused on Reid and the officer. Reid swallowed. "Um, sure." Reid moved over to a desk and put his bag down.

The officer took out a pair of latex gloves and opened the bag.

Reid turned to look at the team. He shrugged his shoulders and half-smiled. JJ tried to smile back, but everyone else looked concerned.

"Come on, guys," Harding said to the SWAT team. "Let's get packed up."

With backward glances, the SWAT team slowly filed out.

"It looks clean," the officer said, sounding almost disappointed.

Reid nodded.

The officer opened the last side pocket, his hands froze for a split second, and Reid knew I wasn't good.

"What do we have here?" the officer asked as he lifted a small pack of white powder from the pocket.

Reid's mouth fell open. "It's not-" He looked from the white packet to his bag. "I didn't-" He looked at the team. "I swear-"

"Save it. You aren't going anywhere. I'm placing you under arrest for possession of crack cocaine." The officer took out his handcuffs.

"But it's not mine!" He took a few steps toward the team, hand out, pleading for them to believe him. "I swear, it's not mine."

"How'd it get there then?" The officer was obviously enjoying himself.

"I-I-" Reid sighed. "I don't know."

"I didn't think so." The officer moved to handcuff Reid.

"Guys," Reid implored. "Morgan, Hotch."

"We'll take care of this, Reid, don't worry," Emily assured him, though her face showed more worry than hope.

JJ looked on the verge of tears.

Rossi avoided eye contact.

Hotch tried to smile and nodded.

Morgan looked like he wanted to punch something. "We believe you, Reid. If you say you didn't, then you didn't."

Reid immediately felt relief wash over him.

_They will get me out of this._

* * *

**Hmmm... Is Reid telling the truth? Or did he use drugs? Ooooooo! The suspense!**

**I can feel the end drawing ever closer, but that really doesn't mean much, I just know where I want the story to go. How long it takes me to get there always seems shorter in my head…**

**Well, REID AND REVIEW!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**P.S.**

**Hey! It's only 12:30! I think that's a new record for me! XD**


	12. Trust

**(Door bell)**

**Me (opening door): Who is it?**

**FedEx Guy: I have a delivery for DarkAngel.**

**Me: Oh! That's me! (signs quickly)**

**FedEx: Than- (door slams in face)**

**(I excitedly rip open)**

**Reid: What is it?**

**Me: It can't be…**

**Morgan: What?**

**Me: It is!**

**JJ: Tell us!**

**Me (holds up bottle triumphantly): RUM! Thank you xofreethelightbox!**

**Rossi: Oh boy…**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

**

* * *

**

_To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved." ~George MacDonald_

_

* * *

_

As if on cue, Morgan's phone rang.

"Hello?" he snapped, without looking at the number. "Oh, sorry, Garcia… Yeah, how did you?" A small smile lit his face. "Of course you did." He frowned. "What? Really?" Morgan rushed over to a computer.

By now, even the officer leading Reid away had stopped and was watching Morgan with interest.

Morgan stepped back and moved so everyone could see. On the screen, a grainy image of the police station showed.

"Okay, guys, this is a security camera of the station," Garcia said over Morgan's speaker phone. "Sorry, Officer Brandon, but I was bored and I like watching my team work so I hacked the security system."

The guy, Officer Brandon apparently, looked slightly taken aback.

Reid recalled Garcia's words from the coffee shop: _I'm always watching._ Boy, was he gald.

"Now," Garcia continued. "As you can see, this is current time. Give us a nod Hotch!"

Hotch looked at the security camera and he and his small image nodded.

"Now that we have real TV established, I wish to show you something that will clear this whole mess up." The image started to rewind. Images of Reid getting searched, the team leaving the conference room, officers milling around, the team coming into the conference room, and finally stopped with Reid entering the station after he had stormed out on Morgan. "Now, my pretties, watch and observe."

Reid's little image-self pushed its way through the officers in its hurry to get to the conference room.

"Did you see it? By your lack of excitedness, I take it you didn't."

Garcia rewound the image and played it at half-speed as everyone leaned in close. Little Reid slowly pushed through the officers.

"Oh my gosh," Prentiss gasped. "Look!"

Garcia played it back one more time.

"There! That officer, she-"

"Amy." Morgan shook his head and slapped the desk.

"She slipped that cocaine into Reid's pocket," Rossi surmised.

"Is that enough proof for you?" Hotch asked, turning to Officer Brandon. "I need my Agent to go after the kidnapper. Please."

Officer Brandon clenched his jaw. "You think this kid can really help?" Hotch nodded. "I guess it will have to do for now." He unlocked Reid's handcuffs. "Just promise me you'll bring my niece home safe. Her name is Sara."

* * *

Sara jumped as another two girls were thrown into the room. She and the other six girls ran over to help them up.

They all introduced themselves, trying to calm the girls.

"It will be okay," Sara said. "I promise."

The slot on the door slid back. Nine bundles were pushed into the room.

"Get dressed," a deep voice said. "It's almost time."

"Almost time for what?" Sara yelled as she ran over to bang on the door. Before she got there, the bolt slid shut.

Sara felt the tears sting her eyes, but she held them back, took a deep breath, and turned back to the other girls. "Well, let's get changed."

Each girl took a bundle and opened it. Inside was a simple white sheet, a gold rope, gold sandals, and a gold laurel for each girl.

* * *

The convoy of SUV's and SWAT trucks rushed down the highway toward Stone Mountain.

"Okay, Garcia, what's the general area of the cabin?" Morgan asked.

"I'm sending it to the SUV's GPS as we speak," Garcia assured him. "Be careful, guys."

"Why? You worried that the vet's going to put us to sleep?" Morgan smiled.

"No, I think you can handle the vet, I'm more worried about the cats."

"Cats?"

"She's talking about the _Puma concolor_, or the Mountain Lion. It's a protected species here."

"Thanks, Reid, but if one comes my way, I'm definitely shooting it. Thanks for the info, Garcia. I'll talk to you later."

"I'll be waiting." Garcia clicked the phone off.

"Five minutes," Hotch informed Morgan and Reid.

Reid busied himself with checking the straps on his vest and making sure his gun was loaded. The sirens that had been following them silenced as they neared their destination.

Hotch pulled into a parking lot at the base of the looming mountain.

Hotch quickly exited.

Before Morgan left, Reid got his attention.

"I just wanted to say, um, thanks, for, ah, trusting me." Reid smiled crookedly.

Morgan gave a true smile. "No problem, kid."

* * *

**It wasn't the mean cop! He was just worried about his niece and was judging poor Spence by his hammered look… Poor Reid!**

**Aaannnyyywwaaayyy….**

**I'm actually getting this up before midnight! I'm pretty sure this is a first for me… :D**

**I will hopefully have the next chapter up soon, so help inspire me to persevere! REID AND REVIEW!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**P.S.**

**A death is looming in the future! Be prepared!**

**P.S.S.**

**There could be more than one death….**


	13. Alone

**Me (sitting in corner with rum): She won't find me here!**

**Morgan: What is she doing?**

**Reid: She seems to be suffering a psychotic breakdown.**

**Me: It'll all be okay.**

**(Doorbell rings)**

**JJ: I'll get it, since your busy.**

**Me: What? Wait! No! Don't!**

**(JJ opens door. Hazeljv stands in doorway.)**

**Me: NOOOOOOOO!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds. (If this makes no sense, check out the reviews made by Hazeljv)**

* * *

"_Oh, sweet sorrow, the time you borrow, will you be here when I wake tomorrow?"~ Katherine Wolf_

* * *

"It didn't work, Amy. They're still here."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I thought it would've taken them longer to figure out the mess."

"It looks like we'll need to use different tactics."

* * *

Reid went with the rest of the team into the forest with his gun drawn. They were following the canine unit, which was tracking along the trail.

The sky was darkening, threatening a storm.

_Great, another storm,_ Reid thought, not appreciating the irony as he remembered the last storm he was out in.

The dogs up front started to whine and turn in small circles. A few barked.

"What is it?" Reid asked.

"Not sure." Hotch frowned.

"Maybe they just now realized Reid was here," Morgan joked.

Reid gave him a sarcastic smile.

"We have a problem," one of the canine officers said.

The BAU team all gathered around to hear the new development.

"There is a split in the trail. The girls seemed to have split up here and gone to different areas."

"How many paths, exactly?"

"Nine."

* * *

Sara stumbled through the forest with Ollie and Megan. They were free, besides the chains keeping their hands together.

It had been a mistake, she was sure. They wouldn't have just let them go. Would they?

She didn't really care. She just knew that they had to get as far away as possible from those people. She didn't know what had happened to the other girls. She just knew that she and the other girls had to get away. Had to get help.

* * *

Kate was scared.

She was all alone.

Where was Sara?

She started to cry as she hid in the grass at the base of the tree.

* * *

Christina was pulled along the path by a lady in a white dress.

"Where are we going?" she asked, terrified.

"Some place nice."

* * *

"Chloe? Sara? Ollie? Anybody?" Rachel looked around. She had just woken up and everyone was gone. Plus, she was somewhere in the forest, all by herself.

_There must have been something in the juice._ Her head hurt. She was tired. She was frightened. Tears ran down her cheeks.

* * *

Chloe's blonde hair seemed to catch on every branch as the man practically dragged her down the almost invisible path.

_What's he going to do?_ She wondered, too scared to come up with an answer.

* * *

Ellie's head spun. Just hours ago, she had been playing on her school playground. She had gone to pet the nice man's dog, and that was all she could remember before waking up in the room with the other girls.

The other girls. Where were they?

Were they all right?

She struggled to her feet.

The darkening sky made everything look scary.

She swallowed, unsure of what to do.

She knelt and prayed.

* * *

Still at the house, Annie was the only girl left.

Every noise made her jump. The others had left as their names had been called. No one had come back.

_Maybe this is all a joke_.

It was a foolish wish, she knew it.

She sat, hugging her knees, and tried to calm herself down.

_Far away, _she thought. _But not too far,_

_A superhero is coming to call._

_To sweep the damsel off her feet_

_And to make her heart skip a beat._

_Just like they write in stories of old,_

_It will be a love story well told._

Annie buried her head in her crossed arms.

"Where is my superhero?" she whispered aloud.

**

* * *

**

**Okay, I know every wants to do it. On the count of three: 1, 2, 3, AWwwwwww! Crying children!**

**Now that that's over with… Did you catch where the title comes from? Hehe! My favorite part!**

**I just want to tell you that all this typing is giving me writer's cramp. I hope you enjoy my sacrifice! Even if you don't, I'm still having fun and wouldn't stop unless my hand fell off… Well, then I'd probably just use my nose! ;D**

**I did the math and I should have about eight or nine chapters left, depending on how fast I get to the point, etc.**

**I hope you liked this installment!**

**Thanks for all the wonderful Reviews! I LOVE reading them!**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**P.S.**

**Don't judge the poem too harshly... I'm not the best at writin poems and I needed something kinda short notice... XD**


	14. Harding

**(Door closes as Hazeljv leaves with my rum)**

**Me: Sigh…**

**Rossi: Do you really have to say "sigh"?**

**Me: Yes, as a matter of fact.**

**Hotch: You don't need rum to be happy.**

**Morgan: That's right, kick the addiction!**

**Me: I'm not addicted!**

**Reid: Most addicts refuse to admit they have a problem, which makes it practically impossible for you to get help.**

**(Everyone stares at him)**

**Reid: WHAT!**

**Me: Ummm… you know…**

**Reid: THAT WAS FOREVER AGO! I mean, come on! Even in this story, it's been weeks since… Wait… Do you guys know something I don't know?**

**(Uncomfortable shifting)**

**Reid: DARKANGEL!**

**Uh, I don't own Criminal Minds…**

* * *

"_So stand in the rain..."_

_~"Stand in the Rain" by Superchick_

* * *

Detective Harding and Officer Alex made their way down the path with Alex's canine companion. The group had split up when the path had diverged. Each BAU member had gone with a canine cop, as well as Harding. The remaining officers had paired up and gone down the remaining paths. The SWAT team had broken up and were sweeping the forest from a different direction, just in case the dogs missed something.

Alex's dog, Apollo, was straining at the leash, nose glued to the ground. He sneezed his way through a pile of leaves, losing the scent. He zigzagged his nose across the ground, found the trail, and kept going.

"Look," Apollo said, pointing at the ground ahead.

Harding saw the small footprints ahead in the dying light.

They quickly walked up to them and knelt. Apollo was excitedly sniffing the surrounding area.

Harding frowned. "Am I crazy or are there three sets here?"

"You're not crazy."

"I guess that the nine paths didn't really mean a girl for each. What do you think the duds led to?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "They could just be older paths that the girls or the kidnappers walked up or down."

Harding nodded. "Their plan was probably to split us all up." She shook her head. "And we walked right into their trap."

* * *

Sara, Ollie, and Megan stopped when they got to a small stream. They were extremely thirty and Ollie had twisted her ankle a ways back.

"Are you doing okay?" Sara asked. She and Megan had been trying to go slow and help her along, but the mountain terrain wasn't the easiest to negotiate.

When they had first gotten away, they had simply run. They hadn't thought to run in a certain direction.

Now that they had stopped and felt a little safer, they needed to decide on a game plan.

"What do we do now?" Megan asked. "We have to get to a house or something. We need to save everyone else."

"I know." Sara looked up at the sky. She couldn't tell how late it was with the storm clouds. "We need to go downhill, I think." She stood and helped Ollie to her feet. "Come on. We need to get moving. If we see a place to spend the night, we might want to stop. It's going to rain."

* * *

Harding tripped over a root and stumbled into Alex.

"Sorry!" she apologized.

"It's okay. This path is horrible with all the roots growing out of it." He squinted at something ahead. "And it looks like you aren't the only one to have tripped."

Harding followed his gaze and saw a piece of a sandal caught on a root. It appeared that one of the girls had caught her foot and fallen.

"That must have hurt," Harding commented, looking at the knee imprints on the other side of the root.

"It did." Alex was a little ways ahead looking at some more footprints. "You can see were she's limping." He pointed out the change in prints and Harding nodded in agreement.

Apollo barked impatiently and whined as he pulled at the leash.

"I think we're getting closer. I can see a clearing up ahead, maybe they're there."

Harding and Alex quickened their pace. Apollo forgot about sniffing and trotted ahead.

"Hello?" Alex called just before entering the clearing. "It's the police!"

They burst through the last stand of trees, guns drawn.

Nothing.

No one was in the clearing.

Harding, Alex, and Apollo all walked over to the stream. They all stayed alert, just in case.

"Girls?" Harding asked the empty space.

Alex picked up something that resembled a golden laurel headpiece and turned it over in his hands. "We must have just missed them."

Harding looked around the clearing at the surrounding woods, wondering which direction the girls had taken.

Suddenly, Apollo's ears perked and he stared at a section of trees. He let out a low, questioning growl.

Harding and Alex pulled out their guns and aimed at the trees. "Come out! We know your there!" Alex yelled.

Slowly, a small figure in white appeared. "Are you really the police?" she asked.

Harding took out her badge and flashed it. "Yes. My name is Detective Harding."

"My name's Sara."

"We've been looking for you, Sara."

"Is there anyone else with you?"

Sara nodded and two more girls appeared, one supporting the other. "Megan and Ollie. Ollie's hurt."

"We can help," Harding said as she stepped forward with Alex and Apollo.

The two groups met in the middle of the clearing. The girls were dressed in Greek outfits.

"I believe this is yours." Alex handed Megan the golden laurel he still carried.

"Thanks, but I don't really want it," she refused.

"Sure you do," Alex insisted. "It completes the look."

"No, really." Megan tried to hand it back.

"If she doesn't want it, don't make her wear it," Harding said, shocked at Alex's insistence.

"She needs to wear it." Alex raised his gun to Harding. "And you need to disappear."

The rain began to fall.

**

* * *

**

Uh oh! Trouble's a brewin'! Exactly now many officers are involved in this? Heck, I'm not really even sure! ;D

**I'll go ahead and tell you that this cliffy is going to last for quite a few chapters… Sorry! Aaannnddd there's going to be a lot more cliffies...**

**Well, that's pretty much all I gots to say about that…**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	15. Hotchner

**Reid: The Unsub has a sick mind. She finds it fun to destroy people's hopes and bring back torturous memories. She laughs at people in distress and delights in making lives miserable. Her MO is rain and wooded areas.**

**Rossi: This Unsub sounds very familiar.**

**Morgan (shaking head): Reid, when are you going to learn that we can't stop this Unsub.**

**Hotch: We can only hope that karma will get her in the end.**

**Me (sipping milk and eating a cookie): Hey!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

* * *

"_Stand your ground…"_

_~ "Stand In the Rain" by Superchick_

* * *

"Are we getting close?"

"I believe so, Agent Hotchner."

* * *

Kate climbed a little higher into the tree.

It had been getting dark, but she hadn't wanted to move. It had been just like climbing the fake rock wall at school, just a little bit farther of a reach.

"Ouch," she whispered as a splinter pierced her finger. He white sheet that served as a dress was ripped and stained with dirt, mud, and tree sap.

Kate sucked her finger as she straddled the branch and leaned against the tree trunk. She jumped as a branch cracked under her.

Her breathing shaky, she slowly looked down.

A deer carefully picked its way through the foliage on the ground.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. _It's okay, it's just a deer._

* * *

"Jake, search."

"Did he lose the scent?"

"It seems like she just disappeared. Maybe this was a dead end."

Hotch looked around at the surrounding trees. "No, I think that this is where she is."

Officer Rondson shook his head. "Sir, I'm not trying to undermine you, but I really don't think she's here. Jake can't find a trace."

"Just because Jake can't find anything doesn't mean she's not here. People miss the obvious all the time, who's to say a dog can't?" Hotch began examining the surrounding ground.

"Agent, we are wasting our time. There are girls lost in this forest and examining the end of a dud trail isn't going to help anyone!"

"I understand that, Officer," Hotch said with a steady tone. "But what if there is a girl at the end of this trail and we don't find her because we leave? What if she dies because we give up? What if your mistaken?"

Officer Rondson clenched his jaw.

"I've learned a lot in my line of work, and the biggest lesson is patience." Hotch continued to look around.

Rondson snorted through his nose and kicked at a leaf pile. "Fine. Five minutes, but then Jake and I are leaving with or without you."

"Fine." Hotch walked to the other end of the area. He paused and bent down to pick something up. "But like I said, a little patience can go a long way." Hotch showed Rondson a small piece of white fabric.

* * *

Kate slowly dozed as she sat in her tree. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept.

"I can't fall asleep," Kate said aloud to herself. "I have to stay awake so I can find help and so I don't get caught again." She shook her head, determined to stay awake.

* * *

After sniffing the piece of fabric, Jake was able to pick up the scent again.

Rondson hadn't said another word to Hotch after their discussion.

Hotch's phone rang, ending the awkward silence. "Hotchner."

"Hotch," Morgan said over the phone. "We found one of the girls. Have you heard anything from anyone else?"

"No." Static erupted on the phone. "Morgan, the signal's terrible up here, I might lose you."

"What? I didn-" Static cut off half of Morgan's sentence.

"Morgan?"

"Hot-" Static. "I can't-" Static. Morgan's voice changed to where it was obvious he was talking to someone else. "What was tha-" Static. "Oh my God!" Static. Hotch heard the phone hit something hard, then it went dead.

"Morgan? Morgan?" The dial tone sounded in Hotch's ear.

"What is it?" Rondson asked, his curiosity winning over the silent treatment he was giving Hotch.

"I think something happened to one of my agents. We need to get over there as soon as possible."

"What about the girl?"

"I said we would find her, and we'll find her first. Just quickly."

As if on cue, Jake whined and started scratching at the base of a tree.

"What is it Jake?" Rondson asked, examining the tree.

Jake barked and whined.

Hotch looked at where the dog was looking and saw a white shape in the tree. "Hello?" he called.

* * *

Kate jerked awake at the voice. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she had.

And she had forgotten that she was in a tree.

Her sudden movement as she woke up caused her to lose her balance and she quickly began falling through the tree branches toward the hard forest floor.

**

* * *

**

At least Hotch isn't in danger of dying! (As of now…)

**So, Morgan is next in my list of people views so you'll find out what he's yelling about. It's probably just a deer :D**

**I should have the next chap up by tomorrow! Talk to you guys then!**

**Reid and Review! I love your comments! They make me laugh (and encourage me to update faster *hint hint*)**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	16. Morgan

**Reid: Where's DarkAngel?**

**Hotch: I think she's hiding.**

**Prentiss: From who?**

**JJ: I think from Garcia.**

**Rossi: Why? Didn't they sort out their differences?**

**Hotch: I think that she wrote something that contradicted-**

**Morgan (reading this chapter): ANGEL!**

* * *

"_Stand up when its all crashing down…"_

_~ "Stand In the Rain" by Superchick_

* * *

Morgan and Officer Kelly continued to jog down the track, following Kelly's canine.

"Do you think we'll find these girls in time?" Kelly asked, slightly out of breath.

"I hope so." Morgan slowed to a walk and Kelly quickly followed suit.

"Can you tell if we're getting close?" Morgan asked, gun raised and looking around.

"Athena seems a bit more antsy, but there's no real way to tell."

"Athena?"

"Yes, her name is Athena. She has a brother on the force named Apollo. Officer Alex is his handler; I believe he's with Detective Harding."

* * *

"Come on, Christina."

The lady in white gently pulled Christina in another direction. Christina followed, not because she wanted to, but because her hands were tied to the rope the lady was pulling. And because the lady was carrying a gun.

* * *

Athena whined and sat down.

"What is it, girl?" Officer Kelly asked, bending down. She got back up with a shiny object in her hand.

"What's that?" Morgan asked, walking over.

"It looks like a tiny gold leaf."

"Where did that come from?"

* * *

"I'm tired."

"I'm sorry, honey, but we need to keep moving."

"But I want to stop. I want to go home." After walking so far, Christina was fed up with everything, even with the gun. She knew it wasn't meant for her.

"We can't stop. Now, let's go." The lady gave a sharp tug and Christina fell forward, knocking her gold laurel off her head. "Now look what you did!" The lady grabbed the laurel from the ground and slammed it back on Christina's head.

"Ow!" The small leaves on the laurel bit into Christina's skull, causing tears to sting her eyes.

"You bent it!" The lady frowned. "Why can't you be a good girl? Come on!"

Christina swallowed her tears and quickly followed, scared of the sudden outburst.

* * *

Morgan ran ahead, gun drawn.

They had heard voices ahead. Officer Kelly hung back with Athena, keeping her quiet.

"I still can't believe you," a woman's voice said.

"I told you I'm sorry!" a small child's voice cried.

"Sometimes sorry isn't good enough."

Morgan peaked around a tree and saw a woman in white talking to a girl in a matching outfit.

"You need to remember that," the woman continued. "Be very careful in the future."

"I will," the girl promised earnestly.

The woman was facing away from him, so he couldn't see her face. He stepped from behind the tree and slowly started walking toward the woman and girl.

When he was halfway there, the girl saw him. Her blue eyes widened.

Morgan raised a finger to his lips, but it was too lat. The woman had already seen the girls reaction.

As she turned, Morgan saw the glint of a gun. Without another thought, he ran the rest of the way and tackled the woman to the ground.

The little girl screamed.

"MORGAN!" Officer Kelly yelled from the woods. Athena started barking.

"It's okay!" Morgan called, wrenching the woman's arms behind her back and handcuffing her. "I got her."

Kelly ran out of the woods, Athena pulling her along. "Who's this?"

Morgan stood the woman up. "Dr. Arnold, I should have guessed."

"The other vet at Promethean Pets?" Kelly looked slightly shocked.

"Yep. I should of guessed." Morgan shook his head as he held Dr. Arnold.

"Are you the police?" the little girl asked.

"Yes," Kelly said, kneeling next to her. "My name is Officer Kelly and this is Agent Morgan. What's your name?"

"Christiana." The girl hesitated, then ran into Kelly's arms. "I was so scared!" she sobbed.

"It's okay now. Everything's going to be okay."

Morgan held onto Dr. Arnold's shoulder with a firm hand and dialed Hotch with the other.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, we found one of the girls. Have you heard anything from anyone else?"

"No." Static. "-nal's terrible up her-" Static. "-lose you."

"What? I didn't hear half of what you said."

"Mo-" Static.

"Hotch, I can't understand anything you said." Morgan ran a hand over his head. Suddenly, something in the woods caught his eye. He squinted. "What was that?" he asked Kelly.

"What?" she asked. She looked at where he was pointing. "That can't be a-"

Morgan didn't let her finish her sentence. "Oh my God!" He grabbed his gun, causing his phone to fall.

He raised it to the screams of Christina.

The cougar growled as it leaped.

* * *

**Hello… Better late than never!**

**My Internet went out again… I knew Garcia was out to get me!**

**I recently realized that in Harding's chapter, I kept mixing up the dog and the officer's name… To make it clear, APOLLO is the dog… I fixed it, so if you just read that chapter, completely ignore what I just said. It probably won't make any sense anyway. ;)**

**Anyway… I hope you liked the chapter!**

**Remember: I LIVE for reviews so REID AND REVIEW! XD**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	17. Jareau

**JJ: What's going on?**

**Me: Not much. Just finishing up your chapter.**

**JJ (worried): My chapter?**

**Me: Yep.**

**JJ: Should I be worried?**

**Me: No, no, no…**

**Reid: I'm pretty sure that she said something like that last time something really bad happened.**

**Me: That's not entirely true…**

* * *

"_You stand through the pain…"_

_~"Stand in the Rain" by Superchick_

* * *

Rachel ran through the forest. She was so frightened she couldn't think straight. Every little noise made her jump and run deeper into the forest.

A twig snapped and she dashed behind the nearest tree and peeked around, looking for a monster.

"Chloe?" she whispered.

* * *

Officer Gondez and JJ followed Gondez's canine companion, Hondo.

"We're getting close!" Gondez called, gun raised and sweeping from side to side.

JJ stayed silent as she negotiated her way through the thick underbrush.

"How did a little girl get so far out here?" Gondez questioned. He urged Hondo to focus on the scent.

"She was probably scared," JJ offered. "Fight or flight."

"Hmm?"

"Usually, fear triggers one of two responses: fight or flight. Flight seems to be the choice she made."

"I see."

* * *

Rachel screamed as she slipped and fell. She put her hands out, but couldn't catch herself.

Branches tore at her clothes and face and hair as she rolled down a hill.

Thorns broke through her skin and flimsy white dress.

Her deadly roll finished with her crashing into a fallen tree.

Rachel lay unmoving where she fell.

* * *

Hondo's ears pricked at the distant sound.

"Did you hear that?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. What was it?"

"It almost sounded like a scream." JJ and Gondez stood stock still for a moment, listening.

Hondo let out a small bark.

"He's right," Gondez said, absentmindedly rubbing Hondo between the ears. "We need to get moving."

* * *

Everything hurt.

She felt like she couldn't move.

_But I have to._

She didn't want to try.

_But I have to._

She pulled one arm out from under her.

Then couldn't move anymore.

* * *

Hondo barked and spun around in circles.

"What is saying?" JJ asked.

"I'm not sure." Gondez looked around at the surrounding trees.

JJ glanced at the darkening sky. She prayed that the rain would hold off, but wasn't very hopeful.

"Agent," Gondez said, getting JJ attention.

JJ walked over to him and followed his pointing finger to scrap of white cloth.

"She must have fallen down this hill," Gondez said. "Look. There's a scuffed up path that seems to go most, if not all the way, down."

"We better follow it." JJ regretted for the umpteenth time her shoe choice as they started to navigate their way down the steep hill.

Gondez unhooked Hondo from his leash, letting him run ahead.

"Be careful, it's very slick in through here."

"Thanks, but I think I-" Before JJ could finish her sentence, she slipped and would have followed the girl down the hill if Gondez hadn't been ready to catch her.

"Whoa, there!" Gondez helped JJ regain her balance.

"I'm fine," JJ said, red faced, as she brushed her hair behind her ears. "Let's just get down this hill."

Somewhere downhill, Hondo started barking madly.

"Hondo? Where are you, boy?" Gondez called.

Hondo barked in reply.

JJ and Gondez half tripped down the rest of the hill and located Hondo.

Hondo was standing next to a child-sized white blob.

"Oh my…" JJ ran over and knelt next to the girl.

"Are you okay? Hello?" JJ touched the girl's shoulder. It was cold. Hondo paced nervously, keeping a watchful eye on the forest and whining. "Gomez, help me roll her over. I can't tell if she's breathing."

* * *

**Sorry it took so long for me to update!**

**We went out of town, then when we got back, one of my dogs died so I didn't feel like writing… :*(**

**Anyway, I'm back into it now, so hopefully the rest of this story will come up fast!**

**Reid and Review! :D**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**R.I.P Daphne**


	18. Rossi

**Me (typing in corner): Oh, yes, that will be good!**

**Prentiss: What's she talking about?**

**Morgan: Her new chapter.**

**Hotch: Who's it on?**

**Morgan: I don't know.**

**JJ: She's already done one on me…**

**Morgan: And me.**

**Hotch: Mine was finished a while ago.**

**Prentiss: I guess that means its either Rossi, Reid, or me…**

**Me: Done!**

**(Stares)**

**Me: What?**

**(Awkward shifting by Prentiss, Reid, and Rossi)**

**Me: Oooohhh… You want to know who this chapter is about. Well, Prentiss, it's not you. Reid, you know it's not you, you're going to be last.**

**Rossi: So, that means its me?**

**Me: Yep!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds!**

* * *

"_You won't drown…"_

_~"Stand in the Rain" by Superchick_"Agent Rossi," Officer Snider drew Rossi's attention away from the dark clouds overhead.

* * *

"Yes?"

"I think that the girl isn't alone."

* * *

"Come on, Clio. We need to meet your mother and your sisters at the safe house."

"I don't _have_ any sisters!" Chloe stumbled, but quickly righted herself.

"Sure you do! They were just with us at the house!"

"Those aren't my sister!"

"Clio-"

"My name's not Clio!" Chloe's face turned red from frustration. "It's _Chloe._"

The man shook his head. "You were lied to, you're name isn't Chloe, its Clio. You are my child, and so are the other girls."

"No, I'm not!" Angry tears stung Chloe's eyes. "And neither are the others!"

"Clio, you are my daughter. You are a muse."

* * *

"It appears to be a grown male's footprint," Rossi commented as he and Officer Snider followed the footprints and Snider's dog, Abby. "I'm guessing it's the doctor himself."

"Doctor Keith?"

"Yes." Rossi took out his phone, intending to call Hotch. "No service," he said to himself. "Between the storm and this mountain, I bet all of our cell phones will be having problems."

"I don't have service on mine, either, and my radio is just giving me static. I guess we're on our own." Snider whistled and Abby came running back. "Stay close, girl. I don't want anything happening to you."

* * *

"Please, let me go!" Chloe cried as she fell to her knees and was dragged a few feet on the rough forest floor.

"I'm sorry, Clio, but I can't untie you until you remember who you are."

"I know who I am! I'm Chloe, not Clio, and I'm not a MUSE!"

"Do you know what a muse is?"

"Yes, I studied Greek mythology last year."

"Then you know who their parents were."

"Yes, yes," Chloe sighed, tired of the game. "Zeus was their father and Mnemosyne was their mother."

"Then you know who I am."

"You're one of the animal doctors. And one of the lady's is another animal doctor."

"No, that was before we realized who we really were."

"What are you talking about!" Chloe asked in exasperation.

"Clio," the man said, kneeling in front of her. "I'm your father. I'm Zeus."

* * *

Rossi, Snider, and Abby could all sense that they were getting closer. They slowed and started using trees as cover, getting off the path and into the woods.

Snider clipped Abby back on her leash and gave a signal saying that they should circle, but keep in eyesight of each other. Rossi nodded. They each went their own ways, getting closer and closer to their destination.

* * *

"You're crazy!" Chloe said, backing as far away as the rope tied to her hands would allow her to.

"Clio, open up your mind. You know the truth. You just need to-"

"STOP IT!" Chloe grabbed her head and fell to the ground. "I can't think!"

Suddenly, a dog barked close by.

The man jerked Chloe up using the rope and pulled her to him.

"Ouch! Let me go!"

"Who's there?" he asked, ignoring Chloe.

* * *

Rossi raised his gun and stepped out of the trees on one side of Dr. Keith and the girl as Officer Snider and Abby stepped out on the other side.

"Let the girl go," Rossi said.

"I can't. She's my daughter, my muse! She's my Clio!"

"She's not Clio, and she's not a muse. She's just a little girl. I'm going to put my weapon down, just let her go." Rossi raised the his hands, pointing his gun at the sky.

Dr. Keith shook his head. He had been backing up the entire time, and pulling Chloe with him. As Rossi raised his gun, Dr. Keith turned and ran toward the deeper part of the woods.

Snider quickly bent down and unhooked Abby from her leash. With a vicious growl, Abby launched herself after Dr. Keith with Rossi and Snider following.

Abby disappeared into the trees. Dr. Keith yelled, and Chloe screamed. Abby barked.

Rossi and Snider caught up just in time to see Abby, lashed onto Dr. Keith's arm, cause him to fall over the edge of a river embankment, dragging Abby and Chloe with him.

* * *

**Ta-da! Back on schedule with the updates! (hopefully)**

**I hope you like the chapter, for all you Reid fans (me included) only Prentiss's chapter and then Reid's back in full, um, well, Reidum... or something…**

**Anyway…**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	19. Prentiss

**Prentiss: Oh no.**

**Reid: What?**

**Prentiss: It's my turn…**

**Morgan: It won't be that bad.**

**Prentiss: Not that bad? You got attacked by a cougar!**

**Morgan: At least that means it won't happen to you.**

**Me: Well, that might not be true. There's only so much material I have to work with and- oh… I guess I probably shouldn't say that. Sorry.**

**Prentiss: Sure you are. You just love to see us squirm.**

**Me (nodding): It's true.**

**I don't own Criminal Minds.**

**

* * *

**

"_And one day, what's lost can be found…"_

_~"Stand in the Rain" by Superchick_

_

* * *

_

Ellie didn't move. She had faith that she would be found.

_Please, God, protect my friends…_

* * *

Officer Gabriel led Prentiss through the forest. "Beta never gets lost," he assured her. "He's the best on the force."

"Beta? Do you have an Alpha?" Prentiss joked.

"Yes," Officer Gabriel said with a straight face. "That's his brother and he has a sister named Gamma."

Prentiss stopped and looked at him quizzically. "Are you serious?"

"I don't joke." Gabriel stared at her, then walked on with Beta leading the way.

Prentiss blinked a few times, standing stock still, then hurried to catch up. "He better not get lost," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

She heard it heard it before she saw it.

She saw it before it saw her.

She held her breath.

She didn't move.

She prayed it would keep walking.

* * *

"Agent, could you slow down a bit. It's not good to rush Beta."

_Not good to… We don't have that kind of time! _Prentiss just bit her lip and did as Gabriel asked.

"Beta, find."

But Beta wasn't listening. He was looking intently at the forest ahead. A low growl escaped his throat.

"Beta? What is it?" Gabriel drew his gun.

Prentiss raised hers.

A bush rustled ahead. The birds were silent.

"Agent, watch out," Gabriel warned.

Prentiss looked closely and saw the eyes of the cat staring back at her.

The giant animal growled.

Without thinking, Prentiss fired.

"Agent! Stop!" Gabriel knocked Prentiss's arm aside. "The cats are protected. We can't shoot them!"

"It was going to attack us!"

"If it was going to attack us, it would have already."

The gunshot was still echoing around the forest. Prentiss and Gabriel stared at each other with distaste.

Beta barked.

At first, neither person moved. Beta barked louder, and Gabriel finally turned to him.

Beta was whining at a nearby bush.

Without a word, Gabriel and Prentiss raised their weapons and walked toward the bush. Beta strained at the leash.

* * *

Ellie couldn't breathe.

She couldn't get enough air.

She didn't have her medicine.

_Please, God, help me and others who are in danger..._

* * *

Prentiss moved branches out of the way with her foot.

The little girl was there, under the bush.

"Oh no." Prentiss knelt down next to the small girl.

"What's wrong with her?" Gabriel asked.

"I think she's having an asthma attack. We've got to get her medicine." Prentiss watched the girl gasping for air. "She's almost unconscious."

"Come on." Gabriel bent down and picked the girl up. "We've got to get moving."

* * *

Ellie couldn't speak, she couldn't get enough air to say anything, but she was so happy when the man and the lady and the man found her.

_Thank you, God._

"Be careful, Gabriel," the lady said.

"I will be," the man answered.

_Gabriel,_ Ellie thought. _Like the angel._

Her vision went blank.

**

* * *

**

Okay, okay. I know. It's taken me forever to update. My apologies.

**In my defense, I've been VERY busy. School started, college admission essays needed to be worked on, and I was playing in the orchestra pit for **_**The Wizard of Oz.**_** In other words, I'm beat. I'll hopefully be able to update more now, but we'll see what happens… I'm afraid to make any more promises!**

**Reid and Review! (Speaking of Reid, his is the next chapter.)**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	20. Reid

****

**Me: No, that's not right either...**

**Reid: Will you hurry up and finish already?**

**Me: I'm really close...**

**Morgan: You're making him crazy, you know that, right?**

Me: I don't mean to, I just want to make sure it's perfect...

Reid: Just end it all ready!

Me: Fine! Fine! Jeez... There, published, ya happy?

**Reid (reading): Really? What the... Oh my... Why?**

**Me (Innocently): What?**

**I don't own Criminal Minds. (sadly...)**

* * *

_"So stand in the rain."_

_~"Stand In the Rain" by SuperChick_

_

* * *

_

She waited in the dank corner. Her hero was coming. She knew he was. She

**

* * *

**

"Dr. Reid," the officer froze in his tracks.

Reid knew it was coming.

"I think we need to split up. Rex can't decide which way to go." The officer hesitated. "I'm sorry, someone besides me should have come. Rex and I haven't been on the force long and-"

"It's fine," Reid said, forcing a smile. "I'm sure the same thing would have happened with anyone else."

The officer looked sadly at him with a half smile. With a nod, he headed off to the left.

Reid took a deep breath and went right.

******

* * *

**

There was a scuffling sound in the hallway.

Annie held her breath and curled tighter in her corner, trying to disappear into the shadows.

* * *

Every creak and snap in the woods caused Reid's heart to race.

_Breathe, Reid,_ he thought. _Trees always creak._

Even his logic wouldn't calm him down. His fright, which he considered childish, made him mad at himself.

He stopped and took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to close his eyes, lower his gun, and relax his shoulders. _One,_ he counted. _Two, three, four, five…_ He kept going until his heart was calm again.

He resumed his journey.

* * *

Tyler was new to the canine force with his companion, Rex. This wasn't his first assignment. He'd done the drug runs, the regular criminal track downs, but this was different.

This involved the FBI. Not to mention the little girls involved.

It was a lot of pressure.

"Come on, Rex." Tyler pulled absentmindedly at Rex's leash.

Rex whined and pulled the other way.

Tyler furrowed his brow. "What is it?"

* * *

Annie watched the door begin to open.

* * *

Reid could smell it before he could see it.

The smell of smoke.

* * *

"Hello?" came a sweet voice.

Annie didn't trust it. It was too sweet.

* * *

Tyler followed Rex off the main path and into the thicker part of the trees.

It was eerily quiet.

* * *

Reid started to run. He stumbled over tree roots and sticker bushes, but didn't stop.

He could see the orange glow through the trees.

* * *

"Annie? Are you here?" the sweet voice asked.

Annie involuntarily let out a small whimper.

"There you are," a shadow loomed over Annie. "Come on, it's time to go."

"I don't want to," Annie said, somehow finding her voice.

"Annie, don't make this difficult." The shadow put its hands on its hips.

"NO!" Annie yelled, curling into the fetal position.

"Oh, Annie, you're forcing me to do this."

Something that the shadow held glinted in the dark.

* * *

Rex stooped and sniffed at a large log.

"Rex?" Jack questioned. He bent down next his dog and peered into the log.

"Oh my God."

* * *

"What are you doing to me?" Annie cried, tears streaming down her face.

The lady was strong. She held down Annie's struggling arms and legs with apparent ease.

"You need to calm down." The lady sat on Annie's legs, pinning them. "Now, give me your arm.

* * *

Reid froze on the front lawn, staring at the building. Half of it was on fire. A huge, flaming mass of orange and red.

A scream split the air.

Reid ran toward the part of the building that wasn't burning. He barley dodged debris that were falling from the burning area.

"FBI, is anyone here?" Reid covered his nose and mouth with one hand, leaving his gun less steady but helping to keep his head clear.

"Help me!"

Reid whipped his head around and saw a door with a small window in the top.

* * *

The bodies in the log were small. Children sized.

"What is happening here?" Tyler asked as he backed away.

Rex sensed his handler's apprehension and shifted nervously.

Tyler couldn't get the image of the small, charred bodies out of his head. He gagged a few times and had to move away.

By some sort of miracle, he got a small reception on his phone. Immediately, he called his supervisor and reported his discovery.

"Where is Dr. Reid?"

Tyler froze at the question.

_Where was Dr. Reid?_

* * *

__

Reid slid the panel back that covered the window. He could barely make out an adult shape in the dark on the other side. And next to it on the floor was a smaller, child shape.

"Hang on! I'm coming in!" Reid tried the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. As soon as he entered, he rushed to the little girl's side. "What happened to her?"

* * *

Tyler ran through the woods, trying to find the path that Dr. Reid took.

He saw the smoke over the treetops.

The rain began to fall.

* * *

Reid bent down and listened for the little girl's breath, dropping his gun to the floor in the process. It was slow, but it was there. He checked for any obvious injuries.

That's when he saw it.

The small holes in her arm.

At the crook of her elbow.

Reid stiffened.

Amy was already standing over him with a needle.

* * *

**So...**

**I suppose I should begin by apologizing for my lateness... I really did mean to have this up sooner, but I couldn't get it right... And I was loaded with school work and college applications... :P**

**Anyway, I know it's no real excuse, but, yeah... that's what I got...**

**How did you like it?**

**Did it live up to your expectiations?**

**Tell it to me straight. I can take the pain! (hopefully)**

**I am going to sort of half promise that the next installment (possibly last...) will be up before this weekend... hopefully... maybe... we'll see...**

**Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**

**P.S.**

**I meant to clarify the cougar thing. There really are NOT two cougars. It's the same one. When Prentiss shot at it, it ran off to its little meat and eat with Morgan. (Get it? Meat? Eat? Like meet and greet? Ha... sort of...)**


	21. Rain

**Me: Da, da da da daaaaa!**

**(All raise eyebrows quizzically)**

**Me: What? I can't be proud that I got the next chapter up in a reasonable amount of time?**

**(Blank looks)**

**Me: Man, ever since I wrote the last chapter you guys have been strangely quiet….**

**JJ: You're going to kill somebody. You said that before, and every chapter brings the end closer for someone.**

**Me: Yeeeessss….**

**Prentiss: And you expect us to smile?**

**Me: Don't you like my story?**

**Rossi: You're impossible.**

**Me (smiling): Thank you!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds, even though the entire team wishes that I did. (Chorus of negative comments in background.)**

**

* * *

**

_"Into each life some rain must fall." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

* * *

By the end of the day…

The rain would begin to fall.

* * *

The rain slowly soak through Detective Harding's clothing. She spread her arms, palms out, trying to hide the girls behind her. "Please," she said, shaking her head. "Don't do this."

* * *

Kate watched the man run toward her. He seemed so far away. But she was falling so slowly. Maybe he would get to her in time. If only he could run a little bit faster. She felt the first rain drops hit her face.

* * *

Christina's scream distracted the cougar enough for Morgan to dive out of the way. He fired, almost blindly, at the tawny animal. Its shoulder was hit, but it wasn't hurt bad enough to drive it away. Instead, it seemed even madder.

Morgan cursed under his breath as he raised his gun. Small specks of rainwater shone on the weapon.

* * *

JJ and Gondez carefully rolled the small girl over. Hondo circled, keeping watch. The girl's face was deathly pale, and her jaw was slack.

"JJ," Gondez said, shaking his head. He couldn't tell if the water specks on JJ's face were tears or rain.

* * *

Chloe choked out water as she was swept down the river. It was surprisingly swift. She barely had time to register the dog and the man still fighting each other before the current swept them all under water again.

Further down river, her little body washed into a quiet spot and bobbed up onto the bank.

Small ripples formed on the still water from the falling rain.

* * *

Prentiss lead Gabriel quickly through the woods. Beta followed his master closely.

"You're safe now. Don't worry," she barely heard him whisper to the girl.

Beta shook raindrops from his coat.

* * *

The syringe was large. Reid didn't know what it was filled with, and he didn't want to find out.

He instinctively dodged out of the way by rolling swiftly to the right. His knee creaked in a sickly way, but he ignored the discomfort. He looked at the door, but it offered no escape.

The flames shone brightly through.

A small hissing sound, the sound of rain hitting heat and sizzling into nonexistence, reached Reid's ears.

* * *

By the end of the day…

Four would die.

* * *

**It's short, but I made it more for review as to where all the characters are at. I swear the next chapter will be up soon.**

**Since you now know four will die by the end of this adventure, who do you think it will be?**

**Post it! Share your thoughts! Maybe you will convince me to save a life! Remember, I'm kind of like God in this story (not to be blasphemous or anything) I can change pretty much anything at this point!**

**So, hurry and review! You have until the next chapter, because I should wrap up all the story lines… hopefully…**

**Reid and Review even if you have no guesses! I love to hear from you guys!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	22. Last Chance

**Me: OMG! I NEVER UPDATED! WHY DID I NOT REALIZE THIS?**

**(Team glares)**

**Me (begging): PLEASE FORGIVE ME!**

**Prentiss: JUST UPDATE ALREADY!**

**Me: You forgive me then?**

**Team + Reviewers: UPDATE NOW!**

**Me: OK!**

**I don't own **_**Criminal Minds.**_

**

* * *

"_A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." ~Christopher Reeve_**

* * *

Detective Harding tried to herd the girls behind her. Officer Apollo watched her every move. Next to him, his dog, Alex, looked quizzically between his master and the Detective.

Apollo's mouth stretched into a gin as he cocked the gun. "Detective, I am very sorry it had to be this way."

One of the girl's behind Harding started to cry. Probably the girl named Ollie. Harding stood straighter. It was her duty to protect these girls and she was not going to let them down.

Swallowing past her dry throat, she waited for the gunshot. She was proud that the only water on her face came from the falling rain and not her fear.

_Hopefully,_ she thought_. It will alert the others to where we are._

* * *

Hotch pushed off one last time as he ran toward the girl. Stretching out all six feet and two inches of his length, he stretched his arms out in front of him, ready to cradle the girl.

Almost feather like, the girl touched his arms.

Instinctively Hotch pulled her toward him and turned his body to take the blow of the ground.

The fall knocked the wind out of him, and for a few seconds he couldn't move. The only thing running through his mind was _Is she ok?_

* * *

He was too late and he knew it. The shot wasn't enough to hit the beast. _How is this guy so fast?_ Morgan asked himself, barely holding back his curses.

The click of his empty gun echoed in his ears. It was over.

Suddenly, a black and brown streak shot into his vision and tackled the cougar.

"Athena!" Officer Kelly cried.

* * *

JJ began compressions yet again.

"JJ," Officer Gondez said.

JJ shook her head. She wasn't going to give up. Not on a child.

"JJ," Gondez said a bit more forcefully.

"It's going to work!"

* * *

Rossi watched in horror as the little girl, Dr. Keith, and the dog were swept downstream.

"Come on!" he cried and led Officer Snider down river along the bank.

The girl, Chloe, kept disappearing from view. Every time she went under, Rossi held his breath until she came back up.

* * *

Beta's ears pricked and he sprinted ahead.

"We must be getting close," Officer Gabriel said

Prentiss nodded, hoping he was right.

She looked over her shoulder at the little girl, still gasping for breath.

* * *

"Reid," Amy said in a warning voice. "Don't fight it. You know how much of a release it can be. Annie has accepted this."

"I don't think Annie crying for help counts as 'accepting'," Reid said as he continued to back away from Amy. He coughed, reminding himself of the other immediate danger: the fire. Slowly, the room was starting to fill with smoke.

Stealing a glance away from Amy, Reid looked as Annie. She was way to close to the door for his comfort.

"If there's one thing I've learned from my work," Amy said as Reid was returning his attention to her. "It is never get distracted from your patient, or your enemy."

Amy lunged and easily took Reid, with his bum leg, down to the ground.

**

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****I am SOOOO SORRY! I thought I updated this a while ago. Please accept my humblest apologies!**

**Thanks to Anneila for reviewing and reminding me about this story!**

**Anyways, I hope you like the addition. It's mostly just to remind everyone what's going on and set up for the epic deaths of the four characters.**

**Reid and Review! (Though the next chapter will be up as well, I still want feedback on this one.)**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	23. Final

**Me (Singing badly): And in the end, the love we share, is equal to the love, you make!**

**Morgan: Can you write the chapter already?**

**Prentiss: You've left us hanging for MONTHS!**

**Me: Alright, alright. I said I'm sorry. Geesh.**

**I don't own **_**Criminal Minds.**_

_**

* * *

"**__Oh God, help us to so live so that when the time comes for us to die, we shall not be afraid to die, and that after we die we shall not be afraid to live again." ~Unknown_

* * *

Harding squeezed her eyes shut. She would be brave, but that didn't mean that she was going to have to watch.

Just as she was sure Apollo was going to pull the trigger, one of her arms was pushed down.

Immediately, her eyes flew open and she watched in horror as Sara threw herself in front of Harding.

Just as Apollo pulled the trigger.

"Sara!" Ollie and Megan cried in unison.

Without thought, Harding ran toward Apollo, tackling his hand and knocking the gun away.

"Sara! Sara!" the girl's cried.

Harding grabbed the gun from the ground and pointed it at Apollo. For a second, she worried that Alex would attack her, then she realized that the dog was with the girls.

"On the ground, now!" Harding yelled, fighting to keep her eyes on Apollo and not rushing over to help Sara. _Please… please…_

"Sara!" one of the girls cried. Harding knew from the tone in her voice.

* * *

"Agent Hotchner!" called Officer Rondson. "Are you alright?"

Jake ran over and sniffed Hotch's face as Hotch gasped for breath. Hotch struggled to a sting position, still cradling the girl. He rolled her so she was face up.

"Come on, come on," Hotch said as he checked to make sure she had a heartbeat and was breathing.

Jake licked the girl's cheek.

Slowly, the girl's eyes fluttered open. She smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.

Hotch smiled in relief. "What's your name?"

"Kate."

"It's very nice to meet you, Kate."

* * *

Morgan grabbed another clip and loaded it. He cursed as he tried to aim at the giant cat. It was almost impossible to distinguish between the dog and the cougar.

"Shoot it!" screamed Officer Kelly.

Christina was hugging Kelly and burying her face in Kelly's uniform. He couldn't see Dr. Arnold, but as long as she didn't have a gun, Morgan wasn't as worried as he was about the cougar.

"Call the dog! Call Athena!" Morgan ordered Kelly.

"Athena! Athena, come!" Kelly yelled.

With a yelp, the dog managed to disengage itself from the cougar just long enough for Morgan to get a clear shot. With a last, dying yowl, the cougar swiped at Athena then fell to the ground.

Officer Kelly broke away from Christina and started to run, but Morgan yelled for her to stop. "It might not be dead."

He ran, gun still drawn, to the scene of battle. Athena lay on the ground, whimpering. "It's okay, girl, hold still." He moved past her to the body of the cat.

Its mouth was still open in a cry of rage. His tawny body was turned at an odd angle for a living creature. Picking up a stick from the ground, Morgan poked the cougar. There was no reaction, and Morgan lowered his gun in relief.

"Alright," he called back to Kelly. "Leave Christina there."

Running footsteps signaled Kelly's arrival. A thump sounded as she landed on the ground next to Athena. "Oh, Athena," she cried.

Morgan went to the dog and her master. Athena had a giant cut along her belly that was seeping blood. Her tail and back legs were in the same odd position as the cougars. It seemed like a mockery to have the hero laid in the same position as the villain. Athena whimpered, causing blood to bubble from her nose and mouth.

"Kelly," Morgan said shaking his head.

"No, no, no…" Kelly sobbed. "No."

Morgan looked away and his hands clenched into fists. All he could think of was Clooney. What would he do if Clooney got hurt? Or died?

"Morgan," Kelly said without looking up. "Could you please leave Athena and me alone?"

Morgan nodded and walked away to join Christina. A little ways a way, he saw Dr. Arnold. She had apparently given up running to watch the action unfold.

As Morgan walked away, he listened to Kelly's quiet sobs and the quiet breathing of Athena that slowed, and then stopped.

* * *

Officer Gondez paced a little ways away from Agent Jareau. She was still trying to save the girl, though it was hopeless. Gondez could accept this, Jareau could not.

_Women_, he thought to himself. _They always let their heart instead of their brain guide._ He considered telling the agent that the girl was dead and gone, but new better than to get on the wrong side of a higher up. Still, they needed to get going if they were going to make it back by nightfall. _And my coat is going to be ruined by anymore rain._

Unfortunately, it seemed Gondez was alone in his thinking. Even Hondo was mooning over the girl.

_Alright, enough is enough._ "Agent, we need to get going," he said, walking over to her. "Night is coming and we can't be stuck out here."

"Just one more try."

"Jareau, it's _not_ going to work. She is dead an-"

"Mommy?" came a quiet voice.

Gondez looked with shock at the little girl who had opened her eyes.

JJ smiled, close to tears. "We're going to get you to her."

The girl nodded.

"What's your name?" Gondez asked, regaining his composure.

"Rachel."

* * *

Rossi sprinted down the embankment, Officer Snider close on his heels.

"Crap," Snider exclaimed.

"What?"

"Whitewater."

Rossi looked down the river and cursed under his breath. "We've got to get her _out_ of there!"

Before they could develop a plan, however, the trio reached the rapids. Within seconds, Dr. Keith slammed into a partially exposed rock that Chloe barely missed. He went slack and disappeared below the surface.

Abby abandoned her feud with the doctor and started swimming.

"Float with your feet pointing downstream!" Snider yelled at Chloe.

She was too scared to follow his directions, or she couldn't hear him. Instead, she continued to scream and barely avoid rocks.

Abby managed to swim relatively close to Chloe. Instinctively, she grabbed Abby's collar.

"Hold on tight, Chloe!" Rossi cried.

The FBI Agent and the Police Officer watched with little hope that it would end well. Abby paddled relentlessly through the rapids. Somehow, she managed to make it through, dragging Chloe with her up onto the bank.

"Chloe?" Rossi asked as he slid down to her and turned her over. She coughed up a bit of water, blinked up at Rossi. Rossi smiled down at her.

"Good girl, Abby. Good girl," Snider sighed in relief as he rubbed the exhausted dog's head.

Rossi glanced at the river and the opposite bank. "The only problem," he said. "Is how in the world are we going to lead others here." He nodded at the body of Dr. Keith on the opposite bank.

* * *

Gabriel's long strides had overtaken Prentiss and she had to trot to keep up. The rain was the only other sound besides their footsteps. She had to strain to hear anything resembling breath from the little girl.

Beta barked once, then turned sharply into the brush.

"Come on," Gabriel said and followed.

"But we didn't go-"

"I trust Beta with my life. I'll follow his judgment."

Prentiss furrowed her brow but followed all the same. A few times, she thought that she lost him, but Beta's occasional barking kept her going in the right direction.

The sound of voices reached Prentiss's ears. She ran up to Gabriel's side and walked with him and Beta through the last of the trees.

Beta barked once, quickly alerting the police officers and paramedics in the clearing.

"What happened?" asked a paramedic as Gabriel brought them the girl.

"We aren't sure, but I think it's an asthma attack."

A police officer walked up. "That's Ellie, the Donaghue girl."

"Is she going to be alright?" Prentiss asked.

"It's hard to say," said a paramedic. "But we've dealt with this kind of thing before."

Prentiss put one hand on her hip and raised her other hand to her head.

The paramedic looked around. "Listen, I'm not really supposed to guarantee anything, and I'm not, but I really do think she will be alright. You guys got her to us just in time."

" We gotta go," said the other paramedic.

With a nod, the first paramedic jumped into the back and slammed the door as the ambulance sped away.

For a second, Prentiss and Gabriel stood in silence.

"Good job," Officer Gabriel finally said.

Prentiss half-smiled at him and nodded.

**

* * *

****For those of you who are keeping count of deaths, good job! For those of you who aren't, here's a catch up:**

**1) Sara**

**2) Athena**

**3) Dr. Keith**

**4) ?**

**You know what this means, right? I only have one story left, and it's Reid's. Hold onto your hats, it's going to be a bumpy ride!**

**

* * *

**

Grunting, Reid gathered his last reserves and pushed Amy away. She slammed into the nearby wall. Reid scrambled to his feet, running toward Annie and the door that offered no escape.

Reid lifted the child into his arms, fighting his own fatigue to carry her dead weight. His knee almost buckled, but he regained composure. _Lifting with my knees and not with my back will NOT help in this case,_ he thought to himself.

A creak behind him alerted him to the approach of Amy. Scooting sideways at the last minute, he avoided her again.

Another creak sounded from the roof. He looked up only to be met with more flames. _That roof is going down,_ is the last thing Reid thought before it happened.

The large crack sound alerted Reid to the imminent danger. He instinctively curled his body around Annie to protect her from the rain of fire and debris.

He faintly heard Amy shriek as he choked back his own scream of pain. The burning debris landed on his back, searing his clothes and the skin beneath. The hail seemed to last for eternity. Reid's mind calculated how many burns and how severe they could be subconsciously. Finally, the torment ended.

Slowly, Reid moved into a sitting position with Annie on his lap. His back screamed as he moved the burned skin. He quickly checked to make sure Annie was unharmed. He mentally beat himself when he saw the burn on her right leg.

A sound turned Reid's attention to where Amy had been standing. Now, there was only a smoldering pile of rubber. The cry came again. Reid hesitated, then forced himself to stand. His knee, which had been turned a weird direction when he had sheltered Annie, groaned in pain. He quickly made his way through the rubble carrying Annie. He went far enough away for Annie to be safe.

Then he went back.

After navigating his way back into the half-gone building, Reid fought over to the wreck covering Amy.

"Amy? Can you hear me?" he asked.

A slight sound.

"I'm coming for you!" Reid pulled off his ruined sweater, glad it was soaked with rain water. He tore it down the middle using the burn holes. "I'm coming."

With his hands wrapped in the wet sweater, Reid began to move the burning debris. Gritting his teeth against the heat building in his hands, he kept removing the wood.

"Keep talking so I can find you," Reid ordered. Amy continued to make sounds as Reid dug deeper. Splinters bit through his makeshift gloves, biting into his hands.

Slowly, he was able to make his way to Amy. She was almost unrecognizable. Her hair was singed off in clumps. Her face was horribly burned to a black. Reid rushed to get the rest of the fallen ceiling off of her. The rest of her body was in similar shape. Not only that, but one of her legs was broken and her right arm was at least dislocated.

"Ok, Amy, I'm going to get you out of here-"

"No," Amy managed to barely shake her head. "I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Live like this." She coughed, and blood appeared on her lips.

"I-I-I can't-"

"Yes, you can." Amy upturned her hand closest to Reid, revealing the syringe.

"No, I-"

"Please. I have nothing to live for," Amy's eyes were the only things left normal.

Reid hesitated. It was wrong. But even if he tried to move her, she wouldn't make it. He would be in deep water if anyone found out.

His decision was made by Amy coughing up more blood.

Reid grabbed the syringe and attempted to find a vein using his belt. Her skin almost peopled off in his hands. Magically, he managed to find the vein and injected the solution before he could change his mind.

Amy gasped a few times, then smiled as her eyes closed and her breathing stopped.

Reid slumped back on his heels, exhausted and disgusted. He undid the belt and threw it in the fire that continued in the other part of the building.

Limping, he made his way back to Annie. Officer Tyler and Rex were there, Tyler examining Annie and Rex keeping watch.

"Agent Reid!" Tyler exclaimed in relief. "I thought that…"

"I'm fine," Reid assured him. "But Amy's…"

Tyler furrowed his brow. "Amy from the station?"

Reid nodded. His adrenaline ran dry and he slumped to the ground.

"Agent, are you alright?" Tyler bent down next to Reid. "Oh my gosh! Your back!"

"I know," Reid said, gritting his teeth as the rain hit his burns.

"We need to get you help. Come on." Tyler tried to pull Reid back up.

"No." Reid shook his head. "I'll wait here with Annie."

Tyler hesitated, then agreed. "I'm leaving Rex with you. I can get back by just following the smoke."

Reid nodded and watched Tyler jog off. Rex lay next to Annie, his body squashed against hers as if they were sharing heat.

Reid settled in to wait, listening intently to Annie's breath.

**

* * *

**

**Hello again!**

**Ok, so I have one more chapter to write, the epilogue, just to wrap things up and explain exactly what happened.**

**The final score of the dead is (1) Sara, (2) Athena, (3) Dr. Keith, and (4) Amy.**

**I hope you enjoyed the ending and it met all your expectations! Sorry it was so long…**

**Reid and Review**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


	24. Epilogue

**Me: I don't want it to end!**

**Hotch: Why?**

**Me: Because you guys will leave… *sniff***

**Morgan: Aww, come on, Angel. You know it's not like that.**

**Me: Yes it is!**

**JJ: Look, Angel, it's just that we need to get back to work and-**

**Me: Will you come visit me?**

**Prentiss: Sure we will.**

**Me: Good. Because if you don't, I will have to write another story. (Smiles evilly)**

**Reid: No!**

**(Stares from everyone)**

**Reid: I mean, um, please no.**

**I don't own **_**Criminal Minds**_**.**

**

* * *

**

Reid stood at the graveside as they lowered the coffin. Only he and the parents were there.

Sara and Dr. Keith had been buried earlier in the week. Sara's had been well attended by family and friends. All of the girls had been there as well, dressed in matching black dresses. Ollie had to walk on crutches with her broken ankle, but he other girls were unharmed.

It turned out that Dr. Keith and Dr. Arnold had done the same thing almost fifteen years before. The girls they had kidnapped had been killed and hidden in a log near the building that had burned down. It turns out that Amy had been kidnapped as a child by the doctors. She had been brainwashed into believing she was an Olympian and had been given back to her family until they had needed her to help them.

Dr. Arnold had confessed to everything. It hadn't taken much to convince her to do so. She thought she was a god and that she was right in all things. She identified all the girls in the log and described how they had planned for the kidnappings.

"How did you know Amy?" the mother asked.

"I worked alongside her for a little while."

"When she came back, I thought that things would go back to normal," the mother's voice cracked. "But I guess some scars are too deep to heal."

"Sometimes," Reid nodded.

"Come along, honey," the father said. He nodded at Reid then led his wife away.

Reid removed his bandaged hands from his pockets. They would probably scar along with his back, but they would be functional.

"Agent Reid?"

Reid turned to face Annie who had walked up behind him. "Hello, Annie. How did you find me?"

"Agent Morgan said you'd be here."

"Ah."

"I wanted to thank you for saving me. And for trying to save Amy. If you hadn't come, I could have ended up like her."

Reid smiled sadly. "No. I don't think you would've. By all I've seen and heard, you're stronger than me even."

Annie smiled. "My parents want to meet you. They didn't get to talk to you at Sara's funeral."

"Alright."

As they walked toward her parents' car at the bottom of the hill, Reid again marveled at how well Annie was taking all of this.

"Will you be alright?" Annie asked looking at Reid's bandaged hands.

"I'll be fine."

_

* * *

"__But at the same time, the commonplace statement about them is true: every character is the hero of his own story. Each has a justification for his actions that is convincing to him. It's fun to give these people voices." ~Thomas Perry_

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****That's all, folks!**

**I'm hoping that this wraps up all the loose ends of the case. I'm hoping that none of you are too mad at me for taking so long…**

**Hope you all enjoyed the story! Write to you later!**

**And remember tor Reid and Review!**

**~MyDarkAngel710**


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